Here and There
by JamiW
Summary: Sixth in the "Free" series - set immediately after Good Luck. Casefile, B/A, M/C
1. Chapter 1

**Bobby POV**

* * *

Ross ignored us all day Monday. In fact, he didn't even come out of his office. I was kind of hoping he would just spend the whole month in there and then we wouldn't have to worry about him, but that was probably a little bit of wishful thinking.

And it was. Tuesday things were back to normal. In fact, the verdict seemed to be that Ross was going to pretend that nothing had changed. Except our names. Now it seemed as though he was going to call both of us just _detective_. His issues with me, even though disproved, would just not allow him to say my name. Some habits die hard, I guess.

We didn't pick up any cases during the week, and by Thursday I was ready to pull my hair out. Four days in a row of paperwork was about three day too many. Although I felt bad for thinking that. It was kind of like hoping for someone to get killed just so I could leave my desk.

After work on Thursday, we met Mike and Carolyn for dinner. It amazed me how easily we had all fallen into this friendship, but it seemed to work all the way around.

Mike and Alex had forged a unique bond that allowed them to tease each other mercilessly. I imagined that was probably a glimpse of how Alex had been with her brothers growing up and I enjoyed the insight.

Carolyn was more quiet, like me, but she had a sharp, subtle wit about her, and she also seemed quite capable of diffusing Mike's temper with just a look, which was pretty impressive.

Alex and I arrived first, so we slid into one side of the booth and ordered drinks.

"My parents want us to have dinner with them tomorrow night," she told me.

"That sounds good," I agreed quickly. Her parents had been really good about our whole relationship-slash-wedding thing, so I had no problem sitting through a dinner with them.

And really, I liked them just fine. Her dad, although supportive, was a little reserved around me. Alex had explained to me that he and Joe had been pretty close, so I could understand his hesitancy to accept me with open arms.

Sort of. I mean, Joe had died more than ten years ago. Did he expect Alex to live out her life alone? To never fall in love with anyone else?

And I won't even get into what an ass Joe was to Alex while they were married. Every time she shared some new tidbit about her life back then, it made my heart break for her. And it made me feel even more appreciative of the fact that she was willing to take another chance. _On me_. I was the luckiest damn guy in the world.

"Alright, so spill it," Mike said without preamble as he and Carolyn approached the table. They sat down across from us.

We hadn't seen them since the weekend, and although we had spoken a few times briefly, we hadn't yet been able to fill them in on the details of the run in with Ross on Monday morning.

"What?" Alex asked with a smirk. She knew exactly what he meant, but like I said, she enjoyed messing with him.

"You know what," he replied, leaning low across the table and breaking into a mischievous grin. "I would've paid admission to see those fireworks on Monday. What happened?"

"That was four days ago, Mike," Alex teased. "I'm not sure if I remember."

"Don't give me that," he said, and then he turned to me. "With your memory, you can probably repeat the conversation verbatim. Let's hear it."

So I recounted the scene from Ross' office. And he was right. I had it down pretty good. I had a feeling that wasn't something I was going to forget any time soon, because I had enjoyed it too damn much.

"You really called Moran an ass-kisser?" Carolyn asked Alex as she nearly choked on her drink. "You still have to work for the man for another month."

"Don't remind me," Alex replied dryly. "And yes, I did call him that. And I'll say it to his face if he ever has the nerve to show up on the eleventh floor."

"Settle down, honey," I said, patting her on the leg. But I've got to admit, I love her temper. Not so much when it's directed at me, but still…even then it makes for some great make-up sex.

"And Ross didn't come out of his office all day?" Mike asked, still grinning. He was enjoying this scenario as much as I was.

"Nope. He finally started looking at us again on Tuesday, but he won't call us by name. He sticks with _detective_," Alex said.

"I would've loved to see his face when you interrupted him to remind him of your new name," Carolyn said.

"So how's the week been?" I asked Mike, changing up the topic. "You two have been busy, huh?"

"Her phone rings off the hook," Mike said with a tilt of his head towards his wife. "But we did solve the office space problem."

"Oh yeah?" Alex asked. The space Carolyn was renting was too small for four of us, so we had been trying to come up with an affordable option to allow us some more room.

"My apartment," Mike said with a grin. "The lease is up at the end of the month."

"It's not zoned for business, but I think we'll be okay," Carolyn continued. "Most everything is done by phone or computer. We rarely have clients show up at the door. It's fairly cheap and it'll give us all room to work."

"And you'll have plenty of square footage for pacing," Mike added.

"That's a great idea," I told them. "When the other guy moves out, we can get started getting it all set up." Alex nodded.

"Uh huh. And January 18th we'll be ready to start," she added.

"January 25th," Mike countered.

"What?"

"Take a week. Go on a honeymoon. Start on the 25th."

I started to argue, but Carolyn interrupted.

"Mike's right. And then when you get back, we'll work you like a dog," she said with a smile.

Who was I to argue? I'd been wondering how we were going to get to that anyway. It probably wouldn't go over well to use vacation days during our 30-day notice.

We had a nice relaxing dinner. Mike recounted one of the cases that they had picked up that week for review. It was going to be interesting work, and now that all of the pieces were lined up for it to happen, I was really looking forward to it.

A couple of hours later, we got back home. I started to put the key in the lock, but then I realized that the door wasn't closed tightly.

I stepped quickly to the side, taking Alex with me. Without saying a word, I drew my weapon and so did she. She looked at me quizzically and I nodded at the door. After a silent countdown, we burst into the apartment.

It was quiet. The lights were off. There was no movement anywhere.

With flawless unspoken communication, we swept the apartment in a matter of seconds. It was empty. We met back in the foyer where I closed and locked the front door and then re-holstered my gun.

"What's going on here?" she asked quietly.

"I don't know. We should check with the super."

"You know he would never come in here," she countered. And she was right, he wouldn't.

"You want to call it in?"

"Let's look around first and see if anything is missing."

On the surface, it seemed as though nothing had been touched. But as we went through the desk drawers and dresser drawers and cabinets it became clear that someone had thoroughly explored our belongings. But nothing was missing.

"Your jewelry?" I asked her.

"It's all here as far as I can tell," she replied. She booted up the laptop that we leave at home. Once it was fully on, she sat down and tapped a few keys.

"This was last shut down at four-thirty," she said grimly. "A burglar who takes the time to turn on a computer? And then turn it back off? Why not just take it with him?"

"This wasn't a burglar. Somebody was looking for something," I replied thoughtfully, although who or what, I had no idea.

I wasn't crazy about it, but we reported the break-in and had CSU come out to get prints. It took three hours and a lot of black powder for them to tell us that they'd come up empty. Our intruder had been smart enough to wear gloves.

Once we were alone again, Alex and I sat together on the couch.

"What's going on here?" she asked me, repeating her question from earlier.

"I don't know. They were looking for something, but for the life of me I can't think of what it would be."

"Me either. I don't have a good feeling about this."

I held my arm out and she quickly settled up against me. It was an unpleasant feeling, knowing that your personal space had been violated. It was almost worse that nothing was taken, because we knew the intruder had been looking for something specific. Had he found what he was looking for?

It wasn't money. Alex had been able to track the files that were accessed. It was our Outlook program. Emails, contacts, calendar. The spreadsheet where we kept track of our finances was untouched.

"I'll call Mike in the morning. He and Carolyn can come out and go through this place again. Maybe fresh eyes will pick up something we missed."

"Why would they have left the door open?" Alex asked.

"Whoever it was wanted us to know." And that thought was even more unsettling.

The next day, we picked up a case. A body had been found on the steps of a subway station during the morning commute. Hundreds of witnesses and yet no one saw a thing.

Alex and I canvassed the area for hours but came up empty. The victim was a young male, approximately twenty-four years old, and he had been stabbed in the throat. It would have been a messy job, and the killer had to have been coated with blood, so it was frustrating to repeatedly hit dead ends.

When we got back to 1PP at nearly five o'clock, there were two detectives waiting for us from the two-seven. They stood near our desks talking with the captain.

"Detectives," Ross said to us. _Goren_, I supplied silently. _Detectives Goren and Goren_. Although, I had to admit that sounded kind of like a TV show.

"These are Detectives Davis and Rice," Ross continued, unaware of my silent correction.

We shook hands quickly before getting down to business.

"You guys picked up a murder at Penn Station this morning?" the older detective, Davis, asked us.

"Yeah. Michael Compton," Alex told him. "Stabbed in the throat."

"I think we might have the first two victims for this killer," Rice said.

"Did you turn up anything today?" Ross asked us.

"Nothing," I admitted. "Morning rush hour and no one saw a thing."

"Rice and Davis would like to take over this case," Ross said. I kind of figured that was where this was heading.

"If you don't mind," Davis added. "We've been working this guy for three weeks now."

I looked at Alex and she just shrugged.

As Major Case Detectives, we could pitch a hissy and probably get to keep the case. We could most likely even take over _their_ two murders. But Alex and I didn't like to play that kind of game. We were all working on the same side here, and if these two had put in three weeks of pounding the pavement trying to catch this guy, then as far as I was concerned, they could have it.

I pulled my notes out of my binder and added them to the slim casefile that we had amassed on our victim.

"Have at it," I said, handing it to Rice.

"Thanks, Detectives. We appreciate it."

"I guess we get our weekend after all," Alex told me with a smile after the others had left.

"I'm curious to see if Mike and Carolyn found anything," I said, suddenly remembering our break-in. She and I had been so focused on the murder all day that it had slipped our minds.

"I'll call them to meet for dinner," she said, opening up her cell phone.

"Your parents, remember? Aren't we meeting them?"

"I completely forgot," she admitted. "Um…would it be wrong of me to tell them we're working a case and can't get away?"

"It wouldn't have been wrong ten minutes ago when it was the truth," I replied with a smile. "Now…"

"Hey, I don't need you to be my conscience," she joked. "I've got enough of one all by myself."

She dialed her mom's number.

"Apparently not if you're going to lie to your own mother," I teased back. She shushed me and threw a paperclip at me.

"I'm just going to postpone. We'll go with them tomorrow night, okay?"

"Okay," I agreed easily. I would rather go out with Mike and Carolyn anyway.

She spoke quickly and deftly to her mother, handling the situation like a pro. No actual lies were told, just deflections and omissions. She hung up and grinned at me, and then started to dial Carolyn's number when a voice called out.

"Detective Goren."

"Yeah?" Alex and I asked simultaneously.

We looked up to find two suits approaching our desks. I thought I recognized one of them and I immediately felt ill. Not because I was guilty of anything, but just because that's the reaction they inspire. Kind of like getting a letter from the IRS. Whether you've done anything wrong or not, you know they can totally screw you over.

"Detective _Robert_ Goren," the man clarified. I stood up.

"Yes, what can I do for you?" I asked.

"Walter Horsley," he told me. Shit, he was exactly who I thought he was. IAB. "This is my partner Evan Campbell. We'd like to speak with you in private please."

"What is this about?"

"Detective, if you'll just come with us," Horsley insisted, and he actually put his hand on my elbow to guide me towards the door.

"No, wait a minute," Alex said, getting up from her desk as well. "Go with you where?"

"Ma'am, this doesn't concern you. Please step aside." That was Campbell, and if he didn't watch himself, he was going to get his ass kicked by my wife because she'd gone from mildly confused to downright furious in a matter of seconds.

"You need to address me as Detective," she corrected him. "And IAB isn't just allowed to drag a man out of his own squad room without at least cluing him in as to what's going on."

"Settle down, Detective," Horsley said. He let go of my arm. "We're not dragging him anywhere. We would simply like to speak with him in a private setting."

"Just say it," I told him. "What's this about?"

Campbell looked at Horsley, obviously the senior partner, and the older man just sighed heavily.

"There's been a report filed against you," he said at last, lowering his voice so that only Alex and I could hear. Although I had a feeling that every detective in the room was straining his ears to pick up the words.

"What kind of report?" Alex asked cautiously.

"Detective, this is not about you," Campbell told Alex and she bristled even further. She stepped up closer to Campbell and glared at him until he took a step back from her.

"What kind of report?"

"It's been alleged that you have a drug problem, and that you have been using while on the job. We need you to come with us and submit to a drug test."

TBC...


	2. Chapter 2

Alex POV

* * *

I was so infuriated by the allegation against Bobby that for a moment, I couldn't speak. And that was probably a good thing, because if I had opened my mouth there was just no telling what would've come out of it.

_Bobby doing drugs_? It was ridiculous.

The man had worked Narcotics for four years and had stayed perfectly clean. And if doing undercover work in that department didn't cause a person to start doing drugs, then nothing would. It was often tough to sell a cover, and when you're trying to lure in drug dealers, then sealing the deal often meant doing a line.

Smart cops knew how to get around it. Bobby was a smart cop. During his entire four years in Narcotics, no one had ever accused him of doing drugs.

And _now_ someone was going to accuse him? Anonymously?

My mind immediately flashed to Moran. Of course, he would be pissed that Bobby was leaving. Okay, not mad that he was _leaving_, but mad that it was on his own terms and not due to some grand power play by Moran himself.

But would the chief of D's stoop so low as to file false charges against a detective?

Anyone else and the answer would be no.

But Moran lost all sense of morality when it came to Bobby. Well, whatever little bit of morality he had anyway. And I just couldn't understand that, either. I mean, I understood now why Ross felt the way he did. It was stupid and cowardly of Ross to act the way he did, but I understood it. As far as he had known, there was a valid reason.

But Moran? What had Bobby ever done to him?

I stood in the hallway and waited not-so-patiently while Bobby went to the bathroom with Horsley so that he could pee in a cup. Campbell stood in the hall with me, a smug smile firmly in place. They seemed to think they'd caught Bobby red-handed. They were freakin' idiots.

"Who made the claim?" I asked Campbell. I knew he wasn't going to tell me, but I was curious to see if he would inadvertently give something away.

"It was anonymous."

"So anyone can just file an anonymous report, and you immediately take action. You didn't investigate at all to see if there was any merit to the claim."

"We're following procedure."

"So I can file a report. Like say, against you. Yeah, I think I saw you wiping excess blow off your nose just a minute ago."

"Detective," he sighed.

"No, I'm serious. Anyone can file a report about anything, and you guys come in and pull a good detective out of his own squad room and make him go in there and pee in a cup for you."

"The report came from a reliable source."

"Reliable. Because there are so many people around here who know Detective Goren. It didn't come from me. And it didn't come from Captain Ross. I would say anyone else is unqualified."

And yeah, I was being generous to include Captain Ross in that statement, but I thought it would help to prove my point. Campbell ignored me, and before I could take another shot at him, Bobby came out of the bathroom followed closely by Horsley.

"Thank you, Detective, for your cooperation," Horsley said. Bobby didn't say anything, but instead took me by the elbow and guided me toward the elevator.

"Let's get the hell out of here," he said to me.

Once outside, Bobby turned to me with worried eyes.

"Something's going on here, Alex."

He started pacing back and forth along the sidewalk. I knew he was upset. Hell, I was upset and I wasn't the one who'd had to suffer the indignity of being observed while producing a specimen.

And then it hit me what he was talking about.

"Last night," I said. "You think this has something to do with it?"

"It has to, don't you think? Someone breaks in last night, but doesn't take anything? And then today I get accused of this?"

"But that's crazy. This is all going to blow over in another hour as soon as your test comes back negative."

"All that test will show is that I haven't done cocaine in the past couple of days. And that's what the allegation was, by the way. Is that I have a cocaine habit," he told me. He stopped walking and roughly ran his fingers through his hair.

"Let's go see Liz," he said suddenly. "I'll get her to take a hair sample and run the screen on that. It'll backtrack ninety days, and it won't hurt to have that report in our arsenal when they come back for another visit. Because you know that they will."

We hurried to the morgue. I called Mike along the way and filled him in. He told us they would meet us for drinks afterward.

"Detectives, how's the married life?" Liz asked cheerily when we entered the autopsy suite.

"Being married is great," I replied. "It's everything else that's going to hell."

"What is it?" she asked, immediately serious. I let Bobby tell her what had happened.

"Who would want to set you up?" she asked, motioning Bobby into a chair so that she could reach the top of his head.

"That's the million dollar question," I replied. I watched as she carefully obtained a couple of hairs and placed them into an evidence bag.

"I'm glad I haven't had the time for a haircut lately," he joked. I knew he was struggling to maintain a good disposition and I appreciated his effort.

"You've got enough here," Liz confirmed. "An inch and a half is a good sample. If you want, I'll run a test on a leg hair, too. The growth rate is slower, and while it won't show recent usage, it does provide accurate results back as far as twelve months."

Bobby promptly pulled up his pant leg to give her access to his leg hair. She took a sample of that as well and then stepped back.

"I'll have the results for you tomorrow," she told us.

We thanked her profusely and then left to meet up with Carolyn and Mike.

* * *

**Logan POV----**

"What the hell have you guys gotten yourselves into now?" I asked Alex and Bobby as they sat down at the table. I had already ordered drinks for them, and Bobby quickly knocked back half of his.

"Somebody's gunning for me. I just haven't figured out who."

"But why?" Carolyn asked. "You're leaving the department. What's the point?"

"Moran?" I asked. It was an obvious choice, and yet it was kind of beneath him. A trumped up drug charge that he knew would never stick…I just didn't buy it.

Although I had to admit to being somewhat obsessed with the man. Even if he wasn't involved with this latest fiasco, he was the primary cause for Goren's troubles with the department for so many years. Moran was an incompetent jackass and it was time somebody brought a little reality down on him. And I would love to be the one to do it.

Because as far as I was concerned, it was a first-class travesty that someone of Moran's caliber be allowed to remain in such a position of authority. And I knew that if I didn't do something about it, I wouldn't be able to sleep at night.

That said, I found it hard to believe that Moran would resort to something like this. He could've denied his retirement request. He could've insisted on giving him a new partner for his last thirty days. There were many other ways to have struck out at Goren that would've hit harder.

So now it seemed as though someone else was after him. Go figure. It seemed the man walked around with a bulls-eye on his back. It hadn't been that damn long since he was being set up for his own brother's murder.

"I don't think so," Alex said in reply to my suggestion of Moran. "He was my first thought, too, but this has been an inconvenience designed to humiliate. There's no real threat."

"But combine that with the break-in," Carolyn added. And she was right. The timing was impeccable. "It makes me wonder what's going to happen next."

"Something," Goren said thoughtfully. And since he was so often right, I had to agree.

"Did you find anything interesting at the apartment?" Alex asked us. I looked to Carolyn and gave her a little nod. She'd found it, so she could tell it.

"Yeah, actually we did. I'm a little disappointed in your CSU guys for not finding it," Carolyn said. "A red hair. It was on the edge of the bathroom cabinet."

"On the door frame of the cabinet," I elaborated, pulling the evidence bag out of my pocket and handing it to Goren. He looked it over closely.

"It's pretty short. Probably a man, but Rodgers will tell us for sure."

"Like someone stuck their head in the cabinet and then hit it on the way out?" Alex asked quizzically, still pondering the location of the procured hair.

"Exactly like that," Carolyn said. "Someone was doing some serious snooping."

"In our bathroom cabinet?" Goren asked, although it was more to himself. I knew those wheels were turning. "We just have towels in there. And toilet paper."

"Did you sweep the place?" Alex asked. She doesn't miss much, and she didn't disappoint this time either.

"Yeah," I told her. "Especially considering where we found the hair. No bugs."

Goren's cell phone rang and he pulled it out.

"Ross," he said to us in annoyance before punching the button.

"Yeah Captain?" he answered.

We all watched as he listened. He closed his eyes and ran his hand over his face.

"Of course. I'll be right there."

"We've got to go," he said, his eyes still closed.

"Bobby, what is it? Another body?" Alex asked him, although I could tell from her tone of voice that she knew it wasn't.

"The drug screen came back positive."

"What?" I asked loudly. "That's crazy! Ross has to know that."

"He does. He wants me to meet him at the lab. They're going to do another test, and he's going to watch while they do it."

"What about the hair test?" I asked.

"It'll be back tomorrow. But it takes awhile for drugs to get into your system, so even though that shows the history of usage, it wouldn't show anything I'd done in the past week."

"But you haven't done anything," Alex said in annoyance. She was getting worked up again, but at least Ross was going to bat for him this time.

"Call Rodgers and have her meet you there, too. She'll make sure the test is run properly," Carolyn suggested. Alex pulled out her phone and made the call.

"Is there any chance someone slipped you something?" I asked Goren. It was the only other answer.

"I don't know. I haven't felt any different."

"Did you eat anything from home today?" Carolyn asked, and then I realized where she was going. The break-in.

"No. We picked up coffee on the way to work, and we had lunch from the deli down the street from 1PP."

So much for that idea. But still…

"Maybe they should run a test on Alex," I said. "If they got it into something you have at home, she should test positive for it, too."

"That's what Liz said," Alex said as she hung up. "Looks like we both get to pee in a cup this time."

We left the restaurant and headed for the lab. Carolyn and I decided to tag along.

But after waiting for the test results, tossing around ideas as to what was happening, both tests came back negative.

"So no drugs in either of their systems," Ross confirmed.

"That's right, Captain," the tech replied. I looked at Horsley and Campbell.

"What the hell, guys?" I asked hotly. "He's positive a couple of hours ago and now there's no trace?"

"Logan, I'll handle this," Ross said. He turned to the IAB guys and crossed his arms in front of his chest, waiting for their response.

"I don't know what to tell you, Captain. We brought the first sample here and it tested positive. Obviously it was a mistake."

"Not my mistake," the tech spoke up.

"I can't explain it," Campbell said, and he had the nerve to look disappointed.

"You have our apologies," Horsley told Goren. "We'll report our findings and close the investigation."

"Investigation. This wasn't a damn investigation. It was a witch hunt," Alex mumbled.

"Detective," Horsley began, but Ross interrupted.

"She's right. The next time someone says something about one of my detectives, you need to come to me first. And have a little more to back it up than just here-say."

I was surprised that Ross was being so supportive. I mean, he owed them. He owed them ten times more than just standing behind them on a false drug charge. But I was still surprised that he had followed through.

Confused and yet relieved by this latest turn of events, the four of us went to the Gorens' place. Bobby stopped and picked up his mail on the way in the building, and then we went up to the apartment.

Carolyn and I made ourselves at home, grabbing drinks from the fridge before heading to the living room.

Alex turned on a few lights and then disappeared down the hall for a minute.

"So what was all of this about?" I called out, since Bobby and Alex were in other rooms.

"I have no idea," Alex admitted as she came back into the living room. "But I can't stop thinking about it. I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop."

"Oh you have got to be fucking kidding me," Bobby said loudly from the kitchen.

It was an Alex-phrase and if it hadn't been said in such alarm I would've laughed at the fact that he'd used it. But his voice held distress. The three of us hurried into the other room to see what was going on.

And then there was a pounding on the front door.

"Police! Open up!" came from outside the door.

"What the fuck?" I asked, looking from the front door to where Bobby stood in the kitchen.

And then I saw what Bobby had in his hand. A box. That had come in the mail. He had opened it and inside there looked to be about three pounds of cocaine.

"There goes that other shoe."

TBC...


	3. Chapter 3

**Bobby POV - **Spoilers (vaguely ) for Purgatory

* * *

Standing in my kitchen holding a few pounds of coke, with the cops banging on my door…I have to admit, my first response was to toss the shit out the window.

But I had to have a little faith in the system that I've spent so many years working for, so instead, I nodded to Logan and he opened the door.

"Get down on the ground!"

It was SWAT. Eight cops, in full gear, with assault rifles. It just kept getting better.

Alex and I were both still armed from the day and I figured that Mike and Carolyn were, too.

"We're cops!" I shouted, even as I got down onto the floor. How many times had this happened lately? It was getting ridiculous.

"Shut up and get down on the floor! Put your hands behind your head!"

All four of us laid out in my kitchen and foyer. The SWAT boys came through and patted us all down, removing our weapons, and cuffing us all.

"We're cops," I said again, this time a little more calmly. But they ignored me and finished what they were doing.

"This is harassment," Alex said sharply. "Tell me what the hell is going on here?"

"We got a tip about a shipment at this address," the sergeant finally admitted after analyzing our badges.

"And you didn't know we're fucking cops?" she asked. "You didn't look up who lived here?"

"We looked."

"And?"

"And we're looking at the coke!" another cop spoke up. "So we're not too far off here, are we?"

"You never considered that it could be a set up? You had to come in here with assault rifles? How about a little professional courtesy?"

"It's SOP for drug dealers," he retorted. I had to get involved in this conversation before Alex broke through her cuffs and strangled the guy with her bare hands.

"It was in the mailbox," I said.

"Great, we can add transporting an illegal drug through the U.S. Postal Service," one cop said. "That's a federal crime."

"I have no idea where that box came from," I told the guy, trying to keep my cool.

The sergeant had called into MCS to check us out. _Great, Ross was going to love this_. But he vouched for us, because after another minute, we were allowed to get up from the floor and they had us all take a seat at the kitchen table.

"So you just picked up your mail. And bingo, you stumble onto eighty grand worth of coke. You must be the luckiest son of a bitch ever."

"Lucky? You think this is lucky?" I asked incredulously. "I'm handcuffed in my own damn kitchen."

"Look at the box," Carolyn asserted. One of the guys picked it up. I hadn't really paid much attention to it before I'd opened it, so I had no idea what it said.

"It's post-marked from Ohio," he said. "No return address."

"Bag it and check it for prints," I told him. "Somebody sent it to me and then called in the tip."

"That's convenient," one of the cops said.

"Does he look like a fucking drug dealer to you?" Alex yelled. Boy, was she hot. "He's a Major Case detective, for God's sake."

"Drug dealers come in all shapes and sizes, honey."

"Sergeant," Mike said quickly before Alex could ream him for his 'honey' comment. "Search the place. Right, Bobby?"

"Yeah, sure. Help yourselves. I've got nothing to hide."

So we sat, still handcuffed, while the SWAT team went through the apartment. As if I didn't feel violated enough from the night before knowing that someone had rummaged through our things, now we had _more_ people searching. That settled it. We were moving.

"The place is clean," one cop reported to the sergeant who had stayed behind to keep an eye on us.

"No shit," Alex said smartly.

"Detective, we're just doing our jobs. I'm sure you can understand that."

"So the cuffs are necessary?" Mike asked.

"No," he agreed, gesturing for one of his men to release us. "But we're going to need you to come with us," he told me.

"We'll all come with you," Alex said. "We're going to get to the bottom of this. I want details on that tip, and I want see what the lab pulls off that box."

The sergeant opened his mouth to argue, but then he stopped himself. Smart man.

"Let's go to the precinct," was all he said.

Three hours later, I was allowed to leave. It had been another humiliating experience. Ross had met us at the precinct, too. The allegations from earlier were discussed, because it was too much of a coincidence not to mention it. I'm accused of taking drugs and then I get set up to be caught with prison-weight?

"You have really pissed somebody off," Mike told me as we left the precinct.

"Even more so than usual," Carolyn added.

"That's a lot of money to spend just for a set-up," Alex remarked. And she was right. Eighty grand worth of coke just so that I would get hauled in downtown? Surely whoever was behind this would know that I would get off. I mean, yeah, it was causing some trouble, but it wasn't anything that would stick.

"Unless it wasn't their money," Mike suggested. I knew where he was going.

"Moran," I said. "You think he's behind this?"

"I don't know," he admitted. "I'm on the fence."

"Me, too," Alex said. "He was my first thought and then I tossed that idea, but I'm coming back around to him again."

"Can you trace the drugs back to lock-up? See if there's any weight missing?" Carolyn asked.

"I'm damn sure going to try," Alex said.

Most of Saturday passed uneventful. We didn't have to work, but we spent our time tracking leads on that drug package. I knew that the Narcotics guys were running through my finances to determine whether or not I had paid for those drugs, but they weren't going to find anything. I didn't have that kind of money, not even close.

That night, we went to dinner with Alex's parents. It could have gone better. Much better. I was still in a contemplative mood, and Alex was still pissed. She was in full-on protective mode of me, and then her dad did the worst thing possible. He brought up Joe.

"Are you two going on a honeymoon?" he asked casually during the meal.

"We will in a few more weeks," I replied. I didn't know where yet, so I didn't offer any more details.

"That'll be nice. Poor Joe always worked so hard that you two never got to take one, did you?"

I saw Alex's eyes flash and I reached across to put my hand on her thigh, hoping to settle her down some, but like I said – she was being over-protective of me at the moment, and she took that remark as a shot at me.

"The only thing Joe ever worked hard at was getting women into his bed," she said as she stabbed her fork at her potatoes.

"Alex!" her mother admonished.

"What? It's true. You guys think Joe was a saint. Well, he wasn't, okay?"

"Sweetheart," her dad began, but she interrupted.

"Dad, it was a long time ago. Let's drop it. I'm married to Bobby. I love him, and I'm happy with him, and this is the way it's going to be. I thought you guys were good with it?"

"We are," her dad said.

"Then don't bring up Joe. Okay? I'm serious. You two can talk about him to each other, but I don't want to hear it."

The dinner got quiet after that, until we were finally able to escape. I held Alex's hand as we walked back to our apartment.

"I'm sorry," she said after a few minute of quiet.

"Don't be sorry," I told her.

"It's been a rough couple of days, huh? And I feel like I'm on edge waiting for something else to happen. Because more is going to happen, isn't it?"

"I think so," I agreed.

"Why?" she asked in frustration. "Why can't people just leave us alone? Is that really too much to ask?"

"No, honey," I said, putting my arm around her and pulling her close. "No it's not. I guess I've made too many enemies with the department. We can't get out of there a minute too soon."

"I want to go someplace deserted for our honeymoon," she told, quickly shifting subjects. "That way we'll know there won't be any murders, or any set-ups. Just you and me."

"Sounds perfect to me. You pick the place. Anywhere you want to go, okay?"

We got back into the apartment and considering the late hour, we decided to head straight for bed. But apparently fate had other plans for me.

We were halfway down the hall when there was a knock at the door.

"I don't have a good feeling about this," Alex said softly.

For a moment, we both just stood in the hallway and looked at the door. I totally agreed with her, and I would give just about anything to not have to answer the door.

But then the knocking turned to pounding.

"Detective Goren! Open up!"

I didn't recognize the voice, so I looked through the peephole. _More fucking cops._

I pulled the door open for two detectives. It was Davis and Rice, the homicide detectives from the 2-7. They startled briefly when they saw Alex, clearly not expecting to see my partner in my apartment with me.

"What can I do for you?" I asked warily.

"I hate to have to do this, but we need you to come with us to the 2-7."

"Are you kidding me?" Alex asked. "What is it now?"

"Are you…do you…" Rice began, trying to establish Alex's role.

"She's my wife," I stated. "What's the problem?"

"We need to ask you a few questions in regards to a recent homicide."

"The subway killings?" I asked.

"No, that's just one of our cases. We picked up another one today."

"And you need to question me?"

"One of your business cards was found on the victim. And after speaking with some of her…associates…your name came up. Several times in fact."

I looked at Alex. We were both completely lost.

"Can we do it here?" I asked, gesturing for the detectives to come inside.

They looked hesitant, but I also knew that they were trying to be respectful of a fellow officer. At least they weren't acting like storm troopers the way the Narcotics guys had acted last night. _God, that was last night_. Two nights in a row visited by the cops.

"We can start out here, sure," Rice finally agreed.

"Who is the victim?" Alex asked once they were inside.

"Ginger Barnes. Witness reports state that you were…um…her…uh…"

"Her lover," Davis picked up where Rice stumbled. "Witnesses from the club say that you and Ginger hooked up a little over a year ago, and that you were last seen together a few weeks ago.

I heard Alex suck in a breath, and at the same time, I could feel the blood rush from my face.

I knew Ginger Barnes. Of course, I had never dated her or been intimate with her or _anything_. I just knew her, that's all.

Ginger was a dancer in Testarossa's club.

But now I had an idea of what was happening here and it was so much worse than I'd thought.

"Bobby," Alex began.

"Alex, I never…"

"I know that," she said quickly. And I felt a wave of relief at the trust she held in me. "But who is she?"

"When I was working undercover…she was a dancer in the club."

And I hated this. That had been a horrible time for me and Alex. I had shut her out and she had been so mad at me...I had never felt so alone as I did during that time.

"So this is Stoat?" she asked sharply. I was afraid to look at her, but I did. And I was so grateful to see the love and support written all over her face. She wasn't upset _with_ me. She was upset _for_ me.

"Or Testarossa," I suggested. Both of them hated me enough to plot revenge.

"What are you guys talking about?" Rice asked.

"Somebody's setting me up for this."

"If that's true, they're doing it up right," Davis told us. "We've got your fingerprints on her body."

TBC...


	4. Chapter 4

**Logan POV**

* * *

I felt bad for Bobby, with all of the things that had been happening to him over the past couple of days.

And despite the fact that I knew something else was coming, I was still surprised to get the call.

"Mike, it's Alex. Bobby's being questioned about a murder."

"It doesn't end, does it?" I asked rhetorically. "Who got killed?"

"It's a long story. The detectives just took him with them. Can you and Carolyn meet us at the 2-7? I'm hoping you still have some friends there because we can use all the help we can get."

"We'll be there as soon as we can."

"Who got killed?" Carolyn asked me when I hung up with Alex.

"I don't know, but they've picked up Bobby for the murder."

"What? Shit, let's go."

We got to the 2-7 and it was obvious that Alex was a wreck. Obvious to me anyway. She looked calm enough on the outside, but her eyes told a different story.

"How're you doing?" I asked her when she met us in the hall.

"They've got him in the interrogation room," she said. And then she told us what she knew.

"A dancer at a club?" Carolyn asked. "There's no way."

"He told them that he hasn't seen Ginger since he came out of the undercover operation. And he only knew of her, but didn't really know her."

"So what's their problem?" I asked.

"There are several dancers who say different. They told the detectives that Bobby's been hanging around for the past year, and that he and Ginger were an item."

"That's ridiculous. And it shouldn't be too hard to disprove."

"The time of death was about four weeks ago, and that lines up with the last time anyone saw Ginger. And they say she was with Bobby then. They asked me if I could account for his whereabouts that day."

As much time as Bobby and Alex spent together, having her vouch for his time shouldn't have been difficult. But by the panic on her face, I knew we'd hit another snag.

"And I…um…I don't know," she began, clearly flustered. "I've been able to…um…to account for his time with the exception of one afternoon after work. I don't know where he…uh…where he went that day."

"Surely they haven't been able to pinpoint the exact time of death," Carolyn said. "It's been too long. They'd have to estimate it within a reasonable time span. Just because you can't account for a few hours of his time doesn't mean he's guilty of anything."

"The witness reports are specific. The afternoon that I can't account for…that's the day the witnesses say Bobby was with her. Mike…"

She was starting to lose it. It had been too much lately. Most normal people would've cracked a long time ago, but Alex wasn't most people. And I wasn't going to let her crumble.

"Alex," I said gently, putting a hand on her shoulder. "It's going to be fine. When was it?"

And when she told me, I had to smile.

"He was with me," I told her. Relief flooded her face. I know she didn't actually think there was any truth to the witness statements, but it was the fact that she wasn't able to provide an alibi that was bothering her.

"With you? Where?"

"That was the day we went to the jewelry store," I said. "We bought the wedding bands for us," I added, tilting my head toward Carolyn. "And Bobby bought the diamond for you."

"Oh, thank God. The store will have cameras. We'll be able to prove it."

"What store? I'll get the owner on the phone right now," Carolyn said.

"It's midnight," Alex said.

"I'll find him," she replied.

I gave her the information and she wandered over to the nearest empty desk. She sat down and started working at the computer. I looked around the room quickly to see if someone was going to stop her, but no one was paying any attention to her. Carolyn had a way of acting like she belonged.

"I need to get him a lawyer," Alex said to me.

"Have they officially charged him with anything?"

"No, they're just questioning him. But he's been in there for an hour. And these witness statements and fingerprints on the body…Mike, somebody's really gone through a lot of trouble to put him on the hook for this."

"Then we're going to find out who. And then we're going to take them down," I assured her. "Tell me everything. Start from the beginning."

"They haven't told me much. The body turned up this morning. I'm not sure where. The victim had Bobby's business card on her. And she had ID on her, so they went to her apartment. Her roommate said she'd been missing for several weeks."

"And that she was a dancer," I encouraged.

"Right."

"Was there any evidence that Bobby had been in her apartment?"

"Uh…no. No, I don't think so. They didn't mention it."

"Okay, so then they went to her work."

"Right. It was the club where Bobby went undercover. He managed to get the owner arrested for murder and dealing. And a cop who was on suspension, Mike Stoat – he was arrested, too."

"Are they both still in jail?"

"I think so. They should be."

"Hey Carolyn!" I called out softly. "When you're done, pull up Michael Stoat and…" I looked to Alex for her to fill in the name of the other guy.

"John Testarossa."

Carolyn nodded and kept working. I looked around again, but the room was nearly empty and those detectives who were on duty were probably all watching Bobby's interrogation. I wouldn't mind seeing it myself because I had no doubt that he was staying three steps ahead of everyone else, even though he was the one in the hot seat.

"So Stoat and Testerossa would have a beef with him."

"Absolutely. But it's been a long time. Why now? And this is pretty complex to pull off from prison, especially when you factor in the drugs and the fingerprints."

"The drugs are throwing me," I admitted. "Why start with that?"

"Maybe just to make him lose credibility?" Alex offered. And it was a good guess. Trouble out of the blue wouldn't stick as well as trouble on top of trouble.

Carolyn hung up the phone and gave me a look. I knew what it meant.

"No security footage?"

"It's on a twenty-four hour loop," she confirmed.

"Okay. That's okay," I said. "He charged the ring. There'll be a record of him using his credit card that afternoon."

"Any one could have used the charge card."

"Maybe, but I'm betting that sales lady will remember him, too. He made her show him three dozen rings and provide him with the history on each of them," I told her. She smirked at me, and I was glad I was able to get her to relax a little.

"Hey, he wanted it to be perfect," I added.

"Guys," Carolyn said. Alex and I walked over to where she sat.

"What is it?"

"Stoat was recently transferred so that he could be at a court appearance."

"And?"

"Who was his cellie?" Alex asked her.

"Taggart."

"That prick? You think he's behind this, too?" I asked.

"I think it's an awfully big coincidence that two people who hated Bobby ended up in a cell together. And the transfer wasn't even necessary. The court date was postponed but the transfer went through anyway. There were specific orders."

"From who?"

"I don't know. But you can be damn sure we're going to find out."

* * *

**Bobby POV**

This was a nightmare. And I didn't see it ending any time soon.

Rice and Davis kept asking me the same questions over and over, apparently hoping I would trip myself up and get caught in a lie.

But in order for that to happen, I would have to be lying and I wasn't.

I tried to stay calm. _They're doing their jobs_, I reminded myself. I would be doing the same thing in their shoes. But still…

I needed to talk to Alex. She wouldn't really believe that crap about me having a relationship with that girl would she? I mean, not recently. I knew she wouldn't believe that. But even before.

I didn't want her to think for one second that I had been dating someone, especially while I was on suspension.

I had been miserable during that time. I spoke to her every day until I started that damn undercover thing, and then I let Ross convince me not to tell her.

So then I couldn't talk to her at all because I decided it was better to say nothing than to say something and have it be a lie.

Fucking Ross. And Moran. Yet another reason to hate those two.

"So you never had a relationship with the victim?" Rice asked me for the tenth time.

"No."

"You ever have sex with the victim?" Davis asked.

"No."

"Ever want to? Ever try and then she rejected you?"

"No."

"Because we've got an ME going over the body right now. We'll find out if she had sex before she died."

_Please let it be Rodgers_, I thought.

"If she did, it wasn't with me."

"Because you were shopping with your friend."

"Right."

"So all of our witnesses are lying."

"They are if they said I was with her. I haven't seen her since the last day of my undercover work. You can check my file to get the exact date."

"We've called your captain. He's bringing your jacket."

_Great_. Ross was coming to my rescue for the second night in a row.

"Can you explain how your fingerprints got on her body?"

"No. Can you explain how your people were able to pull good fingerprints off a month-old corpse?"

That stopped them for a minute. They looked at each other and then back at me.

"What's your explanation?" Davis asked.

"You want me to do your job for you?" I couldn't help being a smartass. I was tired and upset and I was starting to channel Alex.

"Detective…"

"That's right. I'm a detective. So if I were going to commit a crime, would I leave my fingerprints? Would I leave my business card on the body? I mean, come on," I said, shaking my head.

"So you're saying someone's framing you."

"That's what I'm saying."

"Who? Why?"

"I don't know yet," I admitted. "But I imagine my wife and my friends are working on that right now."

I had no doubt that Alex had called Mike and Carolyn as soon as Rice and Davis had decided to move the party to the precinct. And they were probably out in the squad room already chasing leads.

"Am I under arrest?" I asked finally. I was done.

"No," Rice said reluctantly. "Not right now."

"Good. I'm leaving." I stood up and headed for the door.

"Detective, we'll be in touch. Don't leave the jurisdiction."

"I know the drill."

I rounded the corner into the squad room and met Alex's gaze across the room. I tilted my head toward another hallway and she crossed the room to meet me there. It was empty, so I quickly pulled her into my arms.

"I'm so sorry about this," I said softly into her hair.

"You know it's not your fault," she replied. "Stoat's behind this. Maybe Taggart."

"Taggart? From the 6-9?" I asked, pulling back from her a little.

"He and Stoat were put in a cell together this past week."

"Why?"

"We're trying to track that down now. Somebody wanted those two together. We just don't know who."

"Moran?"

"It does keep coming back to him, doesn't it?"

I pulled her flush against me again and just held on.

"You know it's all a lie, right?" I asked her. I couldn't help myself. I had to make sure that she believed me. That she believed _in_ me.

"Of course I do."

"I mean, even back then. I hardly even talked to those girls. To any girls."

"Okay. But even if you had, that would be okay. We weren't together then," she replied with understanding.

But she wasn't getting it. I pulled back again and put my hands on her cheeks. I looked straight into her eyes and tried to let her see everything I was feeling.

"No, it wouldn't have been okay," I insisted. "I was in love with you. And I was torn apart on the inside because I couldn't talk to you. But Ross swore to me that if I told you about the operation, then I would never get my badge back. And without my badge, I would never get back to you. Alex, I know it sounds messed up and I know now that it was wrong, but I did it so that I could be with you."

"I understand."

"Do you? You understand how much you mean to me? How much you meant to me back then?"

"Yes."

"Then you understand that I would have never been with anyone else."

She nodded, her eyes filled with unshed tears.

"I just don't want you to think, even for a second…no matter what they say, I want you to know the truth, okay?"

"It's going to keep getting worse, isn't it?" she asked, burying her head against my chest.

"It might. We need to call Liz and get her to examine that body. They were asking me about…they wanted to know if I…"

I couldn't say the words.

"They're saying you slept with her."

"Yeah."

"We'll get this straightened out, Bobby. I promise. We'll get to the bottom of it."

"I love you, Alex," I whispered. "Thank you so much for believing in me."

I held her another minute longer and then we separated, ready to meet up with Mike and Carolyn and get to work.

It was going to be a long night.

TBC...


	5. Chapter 5

**Alex POV**

* * *

I was feeling a murderous rage like never before.

Bobby had improved in leaps and bounds since he and I had gotten together, but it seemed that everywhere we turned, someone was trying to push him back down. Did the man not deserve a break? I mean, come on.

I wanted to talk to Stoat. And Taggart. And I wanted to do it now.

So it was convenient that when Bobby and I went back into the squad room, Ross was there. And being reminded of how Ross had tried to force a wedge between us by keeping Bobby's undercover a secret from me….well, let's just say that only fed my rage.

"Detectives," Ross began, but I interrupted.

"Captain, I need you to make arrangements for me to speak with Mike Stoat. You do remember him, don't you?"

I caught everyone off guard by my sharp tone, but I didn't care.

"The Testerossa case?"

"Yeah, Bobby's undercover case," I confirmed. "Stoat's in a cell with Taggart. I'm going to talk to both of them."

"I'm coming with you," Bobby said. But I shook my head.

"No, I want him to think you're in even deeper than you are. I want him to think his plan is working flawlessly."

"I can arrange it. First thing in the morning," Ross said.

"No, Captain. Now." I stood my ground and stared him down until he turned and went into the 2-7's captain's office.

"Go Alex," Mike said with a grin. "Remind me never to get on your bad side."

"Where are we?" Bobby asked.

"The witness statements say you were with Ginger on the day that we went to the jewelry store," Mike said. "We'll talk to the sales clerk tomorrow and get her statement."

"Let's get Rodgers looking at that body," I said as I pulled out my phone. If I had to call in every favor ever owed to me, I would.

Of course, Liz didn't look at it as a favor. She had no problem helping a friend.

"I'm up," she told me. "Danny wasn't quiet about having to go to the 2-7. I'll be at the morgue in half an hour and I'll find out what's going on."

"They're saying they got clean prints off a month-old body," I told her.

"They're probably reversed and newly applied," she replied. "You had a break-in the other day, right?"

"That's right."

"My guess would be that someone pulled prints off your mirror, or your dishes, or some surface that would allow for good prints. Then they could've transferred those onto a pair of latex gloves, and voila. Prints. But they'll be inverted. It won't take me long to confirm that."

"Sounds simple enough, but who would know how to do it?"

"Lab techs. Crime buffs. Anyone who watched enough episodes of CSI."

"Well that should shorten our suspect list," I replied dryly. "Give me a call after you look her over, okay?"

"Am I looking for anything else in particular?"

"Anything that shows that evidence of Bobby was planted. And anything you can find that might point to someone else. And a more definitive time of death would be helpful."

"I'll do my best," she promised.

I hung up with Liz and found the others in conversation.

"So?"

"Liz is going over now," I told them.

"Me and Carolyn are going to the club. I want to talk to the witnesses myself."

"We should pull their financials, too," I added. "If they're giving false statements, I'm sure they were paid for it. Probably in drugs or cash, but it's worth a look."

"Hang in there, big guy," Logan said, giving Bobby a slap on the shoulder. "We've got your back."

Mike and Carolyn left and then Ross came out of the office.

"Do I want to know where they're going?" he asked.

"No. Did you make arrangements for me to speak with Stoat and Taggart?"

"It's done. You can go now."

"Thank you," I said, although it nearly pained me to do so. I didn't feel like I owed him thanks for anything.

"Detectives," he called out as Bobby and I started to leave.

"I know. We'll keep you in the loop," I told him, not bothering to sensor my sarcasm.

I broke every traffic law on the way to the jail.

"Alex," Bobby said once when I nearly clipped another car. "They're not going anywhere."

"You don't deserve this," I stated simply. "I want you cleared."

I wasn't sure exactly what I was going to say to Stoat. I really just wanted to get a read off of him. I didn't expect much from Taggart, either, but it was place to start.

I showed my badge and checked my weapon. Bobby waited on a bench outside the door.

I was impressed with him for going along with this idea. I had a feeling he was itching to take a run at Stoat, but he also agreed with my plan to keep both prisoners in the dark.

I started with Taggart.

"Who are you?" he asked me warily. I recognized him from the day he had hassled Bobby out on the street, but he didn't know me.

"Detective Eames, Major Case," I told him, sticking with my maiden name.

"Oh, I've heard of you. You're that rat's partner."

"Rat? What did he do to you?" Because really, it had been Mike and Carolyn that had busted him. And Carolyn who had made the complaint against him.

"I know all about Goren," he replied dismissively. "He sent those two private dicks over to set me up."

"Detective Goren set you up," I stated derisively. "So you weren't stealing drugs from an informant."

"I don't have time for this shit. What do you want?"

"You've got as much time as I say you do."

"I'm not talking to you without my lawyer."

"I'm not here to charge you with anything else. I just want some information. What do you know about Ginger Barnes?"

"Who?"

And so I tried another angle.

"What happened with your partner?"

"My partner? Woody?"

"Yeah, Officer Woody. Where is he?"

"Why don't you look him up?"

"I did. He's not in jail. That must mean he's testifying against you."

"Go to hell, bitch."

But he smirked. And he became restless in his chair.

And he didn't look upset at the mention of Woody's name. Was Woody making amends with Taggart by doing a little legwork on the outside? He was suspended from the force and probably had some time on his hands. I wasn't sure what color Woody's hair was, but it wouldn't take much to find out.

I left Taggart and headed for the room where Stoat was waiting.

"Detective Eames," Stoat said when I entered the room. I didn't correct him. Whoever was feeding him information obviously hadn't been concerned about that aspect of Bobby's life.

"So you're the one who got me up out of a sound sleep," he continued.

"Sleeping well these days, Stoat?"

"Like a baby," he said with a grin. "I've only got a few months left."

"Huh. We'll see about that."

"Where's your partner?"

"He's busy," I said vaguely. Stoat grinned.

"Oh yeah? Trying to jam up some other poor cop?"

"You're gonna say he jammed you up? That's priceless."

"Hey, I was just working a job, trying to get my badge back, same as him."

"Not the same as him. You were stealing from drug dealers. You were shaking people down. You were killing people."

Stoat quit smiling and glared at me instead.

"What do you want?" he asked firmly.

"Ginger Barnes," I said. I watched him closely as the recognition flashed. He kept his face blank, but he couldn't stop the change in his eyes.

"Hot little number. Ask Bobby."

"She's not so hot now."

"Ask him about that, too." He didn't look surprised, and he didn't ask what I meant. _Interesting_.

"Why would I do that?"

"Word on the street is that he put her down."

"Word on the street? You're not on the street. Where would you get a word like that?"

"Bobby's got a lot of friends in here," he said with a grin. "We all love to get news about him."

"So the jailhouse rumor mill says he killed her. Does it say why he would do that?"

"How should I know? Maybe he got tired of banging her."

He caught me with that one, and I couldn't stop the jaw twitch. He saw it.

"Does that bug you? Thinking about your partner doing a chick like that?"

"Why should it? He can do what he wants," I replied in an effort to sound casual. I didn't quite pull it off though and Stoat gave me a knowing look.

"If you're smart, Eames, you'll cut him loose. He's going down. No sense in you going with him."

I stood up to leave.

"Oh, if I had a nickel for every time I've heard that…" I said.

"Well, believe it. Strippers, blow…the man is a time bomb."

"Who said anything about blow?" I asked him. Stoat faltered for a minute.

"He was doing it when I knew him. Built up quite the habit. I just figured he couldn't let it go."

"Uh huh. Okay. I'll be back."

"Don't bother. I'm never going to tell you what you want to know."

"And what's that?"

But Stoat just kept smiling at me. I wish I had my gun. But at least I had the answer that I was looking for. Stoat was involved.

"See you around, Detective Goren," he said at last. Okay, so he did have the latest information.

And that was fine, too. It changed the parameters of our suspect. If it were simply a criminal on the inside looking to settle a score, our marital status would've been irrelevant. Hell, it had only been a week. No one on the inside would've known.

But he knew. And he had likely staged everything with Ginger Barnes. The tricky part was that she'd been killed a month ago. Was that just a handy coincidence?

What was clear was that someone on the outside was perpetrating the crimes, and there was probably someone inside the department who was greasing the wheels. It wasn't an accident that two men with hard-ons for Bobby were both put in the same cell.

Bobby and I went back to the car and he called Mike to get the latest while I drove us home. We learned that they had struck out with the dancers. Not because the girls had stuck to their story, but because none of them were at work.

Bobby told Mike and Carolyn to go on home and that we would get back to it in the morning. We finally arrived home ourselves and went into the darkened apartment.

"This is crazy," Bobby said quietly, still appearing to be in a daze. "Stoat? After all this time?"

"It's not just him. Someone else had the idea and started the ball rolling. Stoat was just a convenient conduit."

"And Taggart?"

"Let's not talk about this right now," I told him. I walked up behind him and ran my hands up his back.

"You know it's been a week, right?" I asked. "It's our one-week anniversary."

"It's after midnight," he said quietly. "The anniversary was yesterday."

"Work with me Bobby," I whispered into his ear. I reached my arms around him and started unbuttoning his shirt.

"You're in the mood? Really?"

"You want to wait for a time when we're not in some kind of trouble?" I asked in a teasing voice. "Because I really like having sex with you and if I have to wait for no trouble…I don't know if I can make it."

"Are you making a joke?" he asked me, but I could tell he was smiling. If we couldn't keep up a good sense of humor, we were going to be lost.

My fingers kept working the buttons.

"If you have to ask, I must not be doing it right. Let's see if I'm better at anything else."

I finished pulling his shirt off of him, but I kept his back to me as I reached around for his belt. His confidence had taken a hit tonight and I wanted to restore it.

"I love you. You know that, right?" I told him as I pressed kisses along his back. I blindly undid his belt and then made short work of the clasp and zipper on his slacks.

"I know," he replied quietly.

"Nothing anyone says is going to change that."

I slid his pants down off his legs, and knelt behind him to remove his shoes and socks before pulling the pants completely off. Then I ran my hands back up his legs as I stood up, stopping my progress when I reached the waistband of his boxers.

"But they keep saying all of these lies…that has to bother you."

His head was down, his chin to his chest, and I could hear the defeat in his voice.

"It bothers me that people are lying about you. Not the lies themselves."

"But…"

"Bobby," I said gently, my hands continuing their exploration now that I had him fully naked. "What if it were me?"

"What?" he asked after a few seconds, and I had to smile. My seduction was working and his brain function was slowing down.

"What if people were saying lies about me? About me and some other man. Would you believe it?"

"No."

"Would it make you doubt me?"

"Never."

"Then…"

Words escaped me as Bobby spun around to face me. The hunger in his eyes took my breath away, and I was glad to see that my confident man was back.

He backed me into the refrigerator, kissing me the entire time. His control was gone and a thrill shot through me with that realization.

His hands roughly pulled at my clothes while his teeth and tongue worked my throat before moving downward as new skin was exposed.

"I'm not answering any phone," I rasped out as he flung my shoes over his shoulder before quickly yanking down my jeans.

"What phone?"

"It'll ring. You know it will," I told him. I started to say something else, but then he picked me up and slammed into me and all thought process was gone. I couldn't think of anything but him. How good he made me feel and how much I loved him and how much I wanted to protect him…

"I can't hold back," he said in a husky voice. "I can't…"

"Don't wait. I'm with you," I whispered, encouraging him to move faster. But in true Bobby fashion, he got a second wind and we managed to shift the refrigerator several feet by the time we finished. He held me tightly against him as we caught our breath.

"It's always been you, Alex," he was murmured. "Always...only you."

It was an hour later when the phone rang. Two a.m. It was Bobby's cell, so I grabbed it up from the night stand and handed it to him.

"Yeah, Goren," he answered groggily. And then he sat up quickly. I couldn't even begin to fathom the news. We'd had things come at us from every direction lately, so I couldn't hazard a guess.

"What? When?"

I reached over to turn on the lamp, but Bobby got up from bed completely and headed for the living room.

"Did you call the police?...Okay…Okay…I'll be there…No, I will…I'll call you when I get there."

He hung up and looked at me, his face pale.

"What is it?"

"It's Mollie. She's been kidnapped."

TBC...


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: I took liberties with familial details. Sue me. No wait - please don't.

**Bobby POV**

* * *

My mind was racing a thousand miles an hour. Someone had kidnapped my niece. I went to the bedroom and pulled out a duffle bag.

"I have to go."

"You can't."

"I told her I would come. I have to go."

"Bobby…"

"Can you call the airlines and get me a flight?

"Bobby, listen to me. You can't go," she said slowly.

"I have to. They've called the police, but I need to go out there and help. I need to…" I stopped suddenly when Alex put her hands on my chest.

"You can't leave the state," she reminded me. My heart sank.

"This is part of their plan," I mumbled.

"What? Stoat?"

"They want me to feel helpless. They want me to self-destruct because of situations beyond my control."

"That's not going to happen."

"They've planned this from the beginning. That's why they…shit."

I raced past Alex back into the living room and rifled through my desk drawer. One of the letters was gone. A letter from Mollie that included her picture and her return address.

"They took a letter. They know who she is, and where she is, and what she looks like. That's why they broke in. They were looking for ammunition."

"Oh my God. Okay, slow down for a second. What did your aunt say?"

"Lauren called her an hour ago. She'd gone to check on Mollie before going to bed herself. The window was open and Mollie was gone."

"Lauren called the police?" Lauren was Mollie's mom. Mollie wasn't technically my niece, more like a second cousin, but the little girl had taken to calling me uncle, so the accuracy of the relationship didn't really matter.

"She did. They're out at the house now. Marian is over there, too. Bill is in California."

This family was all fairly new to me, but they were nice people. Marian was my mom's sister, and Bill was her son. I never knew them growing up, but after meeting them last summer, I was doing my best to maintain a relationship.

"He's on his way back?" Alex asked me. Bill was with the Minnesota State Patrol.

"I'm sure he is, but he's the father. He's too close to it. Alex, I have to go. I have to help, especially if this is because of me. And we both know that it is."

"If you try to leave New York, those homicide detectives will issue a bench warrant. You know that. You'll be picked up before you leave the airport."

I knew she was right, but I had to risk it. I reached for my duffle bag again, but Alex took it from me.

"I'll go."

"What?"

"I'll go. I'll help find Mollie. She's my niece now, too, right?"

"Alex…"

"What? It's the best way."

"What if this is what they wanted?"

"Who?"

"Whoever set this up. What if they wanted us to split up?"

"No one has done anything to me. Just you," she reminded me. But I also saw the recognition on her face.

"Maybe so. But what's the best way to get at me?" I posed. She tilted her head in acknowledgement.

"It doesn't change the facts. One of us needs to go, and it can't be you."

"It'll be much easier to hurt us if we're alone," I reminded her. I loved that she wanted to step in for me and help out my family, but it scared me to death to send her halfway across the country when someone was gunning for us. Or for me. Either way, it put her in the crosshairs.

She thought about that for a minute, but then she pulled out her phone.

"We won't be alone."

* * *

**Logan POV---**

Every damn time. It was always two a.m. And as grouchy as I tried to be about that in my head, I just didn't care. I was glad they felt that they could call.

"Logan," I answered.

"They just went for the throat," Alex said without preamble. I sat up in the bed and turned on the light.

"What happened?"

"They've kidnapped Bobby's niece. In Minnesota. I'm going out there."

"Was there a note? A ransom demand?"

"No. Nothing."

"We know it's these guys?"

"It has to be. And there's a letter missing from Bobby's desk. It had her address and a photo…they would've been able to get what they needed from that."

"Okay. I'll come with you," I told her quickly. Carolyn raised an eyebrow at me, not up to speed with the conversation, but I just grabbed a hold of her hand and held on. I knew she would be on board.

"Just like that?"

"You're not going alone. And Bobby can't leave the state. So yeah. Carolyn can stay here and work things from this end."

I heard Alex breathe a sigh of relief and relay the information to Bobby.

"I'll make the flight arrangements and call you back," she told me.

I hung up the phone and told Carolyn what was happening.

"These guys are serious," she said thoughtfully. "And they're trying to put a wedge between those two. First the rumors that he was sleeping with the victim, and now this. They had to know Alex would go."

"Or that Bobby would, and then he'd be in even more trouble."

"Right. So what do they have planned for Alex when she gets there?"

"I don't know, but I'm going to make damn sure it doesn't happen."

"They could be looking at you, too, you know," she told me. "Taggart has every reason to come after you."

"Taggart isn't the brains in this thing. He's just a pawn."

"Still. He could work in his own agenda."

"Then that means you, too. You reported him to his captain. You filed an assault charge."

"You know, I never used to have so much chaos in my life."

"When? Before me?" I asked her. I wasn't sure if she was serious.

"That's right. Before you. Things were normal. Customary. Mundane, even."

"That sounds like a fancy way of saying boring," I said sarcastically. I knew she thrived on adventure. "Aren't you glad things aren't like that anymore?"

She gave me a smile and kissed me before getting out of the bed.

"I'm glad you're in my life," she assured me. "And I hate that you have to go to Minnesota without me. But I love that you're willing to drop everything to help our friends. You didn't even have to think twice about it."

"So you're not mad that I'm going?" I asked.

"Are you kidding? You're a good guy, Mike," she told me, coming back to wrap her arms around me. "You always seem to do the right thing. You go with Alex, and I'll stay here and work with Bobby to get him cleared," she stated without hesitation.

**

* * *

**

Alex POV-------

I packed a bag while Bobby booked a flight. JKF to Minneapolis-St Paul, leaving at six.

"I don't like this," Bobby told me, coming up behind me as I gathered my things.

"I don't either. But I don't think we have a choice."

"You don't think they'll hurt her, do you?"

"No. I don't know why they took her, but I promise you, I'll find her."

"So you think Woody is involved?" I had filled him in on my conversation with Taggart.

"I think it's a distinct possibility. He was just as dirty as Taggart, but he managed to get off with just a suspension? He's going to feel like he owes Taggart something."

"So someone instigated this. And Stoat is using his contacts to set up the murder, while Taggart got Woody to do the legwork."

"It fits."

"I'll find out where Woody is," Bobby said. "You know, that box of coke was shipped from Ohio. If someone were driving from here to Minnesota…"

"That would be right on the way, huh?"

"This is just blowing my mind, though. Drug allegations. Then drug possession. Then murder. And now a kidnapping."

"At least you were cleared on the drug usage," I replied. Rodgers' test had proven that he had not used in the past year. That was pretty definitive.

"And I think I'm okay on the possession since they can't figure out how I would've paid for it."

"Someone in the department is doing this, Bobby. Someone in the position to trigger an IAB investigation, and to order prisoner transfers…"

"You still think it's Moran."

"He would be an obvious suspect."

"Except for the fact the he's the chief of D's."

"I think you and Carolyn need to check him out. Thoroughly."

"That's not going to go over very well."

"When has that ever bothered you?" I teased. I zipped up my bag and set it on the bed.

"I hope you packed some long underwear. It's going to be cold in Minnesota, and I don't want Logan to be the one to warm you up."

I put my arms around him, breathing in his scent. I didn't want to leave him. I'd never been the clingy sort, but I felt an unexplainable panic at the prospect of leaving him alone.

"Be careful," he whispered.

"You, too. I mean it."

I held him for another few minutes and then I forced myself to let go.

"Mike's going to be here any minute."

"You know where you're going, right?"

"I think so. I'll make sure to get GPS on the rental car."

Bobby's family lived an hour west of Minneapolis. It was a tiny little town with a limited police department. Mostly volunteers and part-timers. The state patrol had been called in, but they would likely be playing it by the book. And these guys we were dealing with had thrown the book out the window a long time ago.

A knock on the door had us heading for the foyer. I set my bag on the kitchen table and opened the door.

"Next stop, JFK," Mike said. Carolyn was with him, and they both came in the apartment.

"How you holding up, Bobby?" Carolyn asked him.

"I'm fine," he told her, and it seemed to be true. He was keeping it together nicely. "We've got our work cut out for us here."

"I'm ready for it."

"We'd probably better go," I said, even though it was the last thing in the world that I wanted to do. But it was almost four and we still had to drive to the airport and catch the six o'clock flight. It was going to be tight.

Bobby grabbed me up in another hug and I could feel his desperation. He didn't want me to leave, either.

"I love you," he whispered quietly. "Please, please be careful."

"I promise. I love you, too. I'll be back before you know it."

Mike and Carolyn said their goodbyes as well, and then Mike and I left.

"This is fucked up," Mike said as we hurried along the highway. I hadn't even asked to drive. My head wasn't in it.

"I know. With the four of us together, we'd have had this case figured out in another day. Now…now we're all in danger. Separating is a bad idea, especially when it feels like we're playing right into their hand."

"It feels like it because we are," he replied. He gripped the steering wheel tightly and I knew he was just as rattled by this as I was. "But we don't have a choice."

"Thanks for coming with me."

"Hey, what are friends for, right?" he deflected casually.

"No, I'm serious. Thank you."

"You can thank me after we catch these assholes, deal?"

"Deal."

TBC...


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: FYI - German Lake, MN - it's a real lake in Minnesota, but a made-up town.

**Bobby POV**

* * *

After Mike and Alex left, I wasn't sure what to do. It was four o'clock in the morning and it felt like my world was falling apart.

I was being investigated for murder. I had pending drug possession charges. My niece had been kidnapped.

And the one person who kept me sane during all of this madness had just walked out the door.

"Bobby," Carolyn said softly. "You can do this."

She must have seen the panic on my face.

"You're not alone," she continued. Sometimes I forgot how well she was able to read people.

"I'm fine. It's not like I don't know what it is to be alone," I remarked without emotion. "I've pretty much done it all my life."

I went into the kitchen and started fixing some coffee because sleep wasn't in the cards right now.

"Hey," she called out, following after me. "Pull it together. We're not going down the pity road. You've come too far for that. Alex left to _help _you. It was the only way, and you know it. So the faster you get your head out of your ass and help me solve things on this end, the faster we can go to Minnesota to help Mike and Alex."

Man, she was more like Alex than I'd realized. I couldn't help myself. I had to smile. Because she was right. Mike and Alex had flown two thousand miles to ultimately help me and here I was feeling sorry for myself.

"Get my head out of my ass?" I asked.

"Yeah, well, I'm not real good with pep talks."

"I'd say you did just fine."

"So we're good?"

"We're good. I'm just…uh…so used to doing these things with her that I…I just…"

"You didn't know where to start. I get it. I haven't been working with Mike for nearly as long as you've been with Alex, but I know the feeling."

"So, Woody…let's see if we can find out where he's been."

"May I?" she asked me with a tilt of her head towards the laptop.

"Help yourself."

I poured two cups of coffee and went to stand behind her as she hacked into the NYPD system.

"I'm not sure that I should be watching this," I commented.

"You want to find this guy or not?"

"Keep going."

"Here," she said after another minute. "Jeff Woody. He was suspended without pay for three months. He's been on the job for eighteen years."

"And he's still a beat cop?"

"Looks like he was promoted to detective in 2003 and then was demoted again due to an incident back in 2004."

"And suspended this time for only three months...that's pretty light considering the allegations," I added.

She mumbled to herself for a minute as she navigated the system, searching for the cause of his initial troubles.

"This is interesting," she said. "It was reported that he had a drug habit. IAB tested him and he came up positive. They sent him to sixty days of rehab and then put him back in a uniform."

"That sounds familiar. Someone turned him in and then IAB snagged him. So he would know how that process works."

"Uh huh. And get this. His partner back in the old days, before he moved up to detective. Marty O'Neil."

"I know that guy. He transferred to the evidence lock-up and then got fired for stealing."

"That's right. And guess who has red hair," she said quietly as she pulled up his photo.

"That's a pretty big leap. They haven't been partners in more than six years."

"But they were for nearly twelve years before that. How close are you and your partner?" she asked with a smirk. Good point.

"Okay, so what…I've got a string of former cops after me? What the hell? Stoat and Taggart called in Woody and O'Neil. But why?"

"We need to get a look at that prisoner transfer form. If we can find out who moved Stoat in with Taggart, then we'll have a better idea of who's behind this."

I nodded in agreement. I wasn't sure how willing Ross would be to help with that, but we would probably need him to get that kind of information.

"And I'll check with the lab in a few hours. They should've had time to run that hair by now. We can confirm if it's O'Neil."

"Look at this," she said, her fingers still flying over the keyboard. "Woody used his credit card at a gas station in Ohio on Thursday."

"That would've been when the box was mailed."

"Right. But it also means he wasn't the one to break in. That happened Thursday afternoon."

"He could've driven there and back," I posed. "It's possible."

"Or O'Neil broke in and then met him."

"Assuming those two are the ones that grabbed Mollie."

"And that's another big assumption. We've got to work on nailing down some of these ideas. We need to find out if Stoat or Taggart had any visitors in the past week or so. Mail in, mail out, phone calls…"

"And Testarossa, too. I'm not ruling him out just because he wasn't in a cell with those two. I cost him a multi-million dollar business."

My phone rang, and after checking the display, I saw that it was Rodgers.

"I tried Alex first, but her phone is going to voice mail. Is everything okay?" she asked when I answered.

"She's on a plane," I told her. "What did you find on the body?"

Ever the professional, she didn't ask details but instead got straight to business.

"Inverted prints," she confirmed. I closed my eyes and let out a breath. I mean, I knew she would find that the prints were planted because I knew I hadn't touched that girl, but still…it was so much better to hear her say it.

"The cause of death was manual strangulation and I have to agree with the original assessment that it occurred approximately four weeks ago, but I can't get much more specific."

"I guess it would be too much to ask for prints off the strangulation."

"If I could've gotten to her a couple of weeks sooner, then maybe, but she's too far into decomp for that. I did however find an interesting bit of soil imbedded into her feet. In fact, there was quite a bit on her. The other examiner must not have read the report on where the body was found. I'm filing a report on him for that, by the way. That was a big miss."

"Why?"

"She was found in a warehouse, right? On concrete?"

"That's right."

"I think she was buried first. And then dug up and put in the warehouse. If I had to guess where she was intially, I'd say near the East River."

"So Brooklyn is a possibility?"

"It's possible. I can't say for sure though. Oh, and I did check in with the lab on that red hair you turned in. DNA matches a former NYPD employee."

"Let me guess. Marty O'Neil."

"You're always one step ahead of me, Detective," she said with a low chuckle. "Let me know if I can do anything else."

"Okay. Thanks, Liz."

I hung up and filled Carolyn in on the details.

"So the girl is killed and buried. And then they dug her up to set you up."

I checked my watch again, anxious to be able to talk to Alex. I wanted her to know that it had been O'Neil in our apartment, and that is was possibly he and Woody in Minnesota.

"With the proof that the fingerprints were planted, the detectives will have to drop me as a suspect," I said. "Once they do that, we can meet up with Mike and Alex."

"Let's pick up Liz's report and hand-deliver it to the 2-7 then," she said with an urgency that was unexpected. I looked at her inquisitively and she shrugged.

"Okay, I'll admit it. I'm worried about those two. As partnership dynamics go, we're the thinkers and they're the doers. I have a feeling they're going to get themselves into trouble."

* * *

**Alex POV---**

I slept on the flight, but only because I self-medicated. I knew I needed some rest and I wasn't going to get another opportunity for awhile.

"Go ahead," Mike told me when he saw me hesitate, pills in hand. "I'm not going to go to sleep."

Somehow he knew that I didn't like that vulnerable feeling of sleeping around strangers. It was odd how well he did know me. And how astute he was to pick up something like that.

When we'd worked together in MCS, I never gave him much thought. I liked him just fine but I didn't really know him. I could take him or leave him.

But now that I had gotten past his rough exterior, I realized what a good guy he truly was. And I knew that he loved Carolyn, and that he was fiercely loyal to Bobby, so that made him more than okay in my book.

"Thanks," I said to him as I popped the Dramamine in my mouth.

"You've got to quit saying that," he mumbled as he pulled a magazine from the seat pocket.

That was another thing. He was very humble. Praise or gratitude made him uncomfortable. His upbringing had taught him how to take a punch but not how to accept appreciation.

I settled back against the seat and closed my eyes. Pills or no, I thought I would never fall asleep, but the next thing I knew, Mike was tapping me on the arm.

"We're getting ready to land," he said quietly. I bit back a 'thank you' and instead put my seat back in its original position.

We picked up the rental car and I drove us out of Minneapolis, west on Highway 7.

Ninety minutes later, we were in a little town called German Lake. Although I couldn't be sure for which body of water the town was named, because there were small lakes and ponds everywhere we looked. Half of them appeared frozen over, and all of them looked ridiculously cold. A foot or so of snow covered the ground and the road, although mostly plowed, was still slushy and slick.

I was very glad that I was wearing boots and that I had actually packed some long underwear.

I pulled the rental car up near the front of Mollie's house. There were two police cars and three unmarked cars in the driveway and on the road, so we had to park down the street a ways.

"Busy place," Mike commented as we got out. He had been quiet for most of the drive, but so had I.

Cell service was spotty at best, so I hadn't been able to call Bobby. He had sent me a text telling me that he thought Liz's findings would get him off the hook for the murder, as well as that the evidence was suggesting that Marty O'Neil and Jeff Woody might be the kidnappers.

I replied to say that I missed him.

I had no other news, and right now, that pretty much summed up my feelings.

I missed his presence. I missed the way he looked at me. I missed how he always knew what I was feeling.

"Miss the big guy, huh?" Mike asked me as we walked up to the house.

"It's only been a few hours," I said, annoyed that it was so obvious.

"Yeah, well, you get used to working with someone and then suddenly everything feels off when you're not with that person."

I quirked an eyebrow at him and he just shrugged.

"Hey, I've lost count of how many partners I've had over the years. But you've had the same one for nearly a decade."

"I'm worried about him," I admitted. "He doesn't do well without me there. And especially now with things so messed up."

"Carolyn will keep him straight. She's good at that."

"Yeah, well, she's probably had a lot of practice," I teased in an effort to shake my mood.

"That's true," he admitted with a grin. "I am a handful."

We stepped up onto the porch and Marian came to the door. I hadn't met her in person, but I'd seen pictures and talked to her on the phone. I guess Bobby had sent her a picture of me, too, because she immediately pulled me into a hug.

"Alex. Thank you so much for coming."

"Bobby wanted to come," I told her.

"I know. He told me," she said as she released me. "And you brought a friend?"

"Mike Logan," I told her as Mike held out his hand. "He's a…" I couldn't decide how to finish the sentence. Business associate was too cold. Friend seemed inadequate.

"He's family," I finally settled on. "He'll help."

He looked at me quickly with my choice of description, but he gave me a smile. We were family. There was no other way to describe it.

"The other police are here, and they've organized search parties, but they won't find her," Marian told us, shaking her head. "She's not just missing. Someone _took_ her."

"From her bedroom?" Mike asked with a nod. "Show us."

TBC...


	8. Chapter 8

**Logan POV**

* * *

Alex had thrown me with the family comment.

She didn't seem the warm and fuzzy type and the fact that it mattered to her to try to accurately describe our relationship to Marian…well…I had to admit that it choked me up a little. And I'm not a warm and fuzzy kind of guy, so that's saying something.

But we had a little girl to find, so I'd have to address those emotions later on.

Marian bypassed the horde of cops in the kitchen and instead led us down the hall and into Mollie's bedroom.

"What time did she go to bed?" Alex asked.

"Nine-thirty. And she gets to watch TV for half an hour."

"So Lauren came in and turned the television off at ten?"

"That's what she said. And then Lauren went back to the living room. She decided to go to bed at eleven-thirty, and she stopped to check on Mollie. The window was open and the covers were thrown back."

"Just like it is now?" I asked. Marian nodded.

"We haven't touched anything in here. Of course, the police came through here, but they just took a lot of pictures. I don't think they moved anything."

The room was freezing cold since the window had been left open. I walked over to it and examined the frame. The lock had been jimmied open, probably with a knife. The room was on the first floor, and it was a Mickey Mouse lock, so it wouldn't have been hard to get in.

"Not a very big window," Alex commented. "Woody's a big guy."

"O'Neil isn't," I said. I knew that jag-off from the property room. He never wanted to take the time to find anything. As if that wasn't what he was getting paid to do.

"Lauren didn't hear anything at all?" Alex asked Marian.

"No, but she said she had the television on. And the living room is on the other end of the house."

Alex came up beside me to look through the window.

"The snow is tracked up," she commented. "Muddy."

She and I both looked up and into the yard. Everything was white.

"So where'd the mud come from?" I asked. Alex nodded.

"How long has there been snow on the ground here?" she asked.

"Since late October."

"New York mud?" I suggested quietly.

"Maybe," she said thoughtfully. "Tracks lead out to the road. So they parked in front of the house. That's pretty bold."

"Search parties aren't looking to find Mollie alive," I murmured to Alex. "There's no way they think she walked away. They're looking for a body."

"But there's no sign of violence in here. No blood, nothing broken."

"How many kidnappings do you think they get in German Lake, Minnesota?"

"If there are muddy prints outside, why aren't there any in here?" Alex asked suddenly. I followed her gaze to the hardwood floor. No melted snow, no mud.

"Kidnappers who clean up after themselves?"

"With what?" she replied, but she walked toward the open closet door. There was a dirty clothes hamper in there, and on the floor in front of it was a dark blue bath towel. Alex picked it up.

"It's still damp where it was bunched up," she stated. And then she got down on her hands and knees on the floor, looking across the room.

"Mike, check it out." I joined her and immediately saw what had caught her eye. Wipe marks, as though someone had gotten the floor dirty and then hastily wiped it up. From our angle and with the sun shining through the window like it was now, the marks stood out clearly.

"Why clean up the snow?" she questioned, and I didn't have an answer. She turned the towel over in her hands, going over the fabric carefully.

"Any blood?" I asked in a hushed tone.

"No, but there's mud."

"Maybe they figured we wouldn't notice the mud outside, but inside..."

"So clean it up and leave the towel?"

"It was a good catch, Alex. I didn't make it. Neither did the other cops." She nodded and stood up, keeping the towel in her hand.

"I'm going to take this, okay?"

"Sure."

Alex pulled a large evidence bag from her parka pocket and crammed the towel into it. I didn't point out that we shouldn't be taking evidence from the scene. Alex already knew that and she didn't need me to be her conscience.

"Did you notice if anything was missing?" Alex asked, turning back to the older woman.

"A blanket. She had a pink blanket that she kept folded on the foot of the bed. It's not here."

"They wanted to keep her warm. That's a good sign," I commented.

I got to my feet and looked around again. The furniture was white and everything else was pink. Even the frame that held a picture of her and her uncle Bobby. I picked up the photo and showed it to Alex.

"She really took a liking to him, didn't she?"

"They clicked. And Bobby's always been great with kids. He'll like knowing she had this picture out."

I set the photo back down and looked through her desk drawers. Apparently she liked to draw sketches of horses and she had a crush on a boy named Tyler.

"What do you think?" Marian asked us after several long minutes of assessing the room.

"I think we need to check out the town. Outsiders are going to stick out like a sore thumb around here. Somebody saw them."

Alex drove us over to Main Street. And it was aptly named because it appeared to be the only full-sized two-lane road in town. There was one stop light.

The street itself seemed to split a lake in two. There was a row of buildings on either side of the road, and then directly behind the buildings on both sides was water. One end of Main wrapped around the lake to the left and the other end curled around to the right.

"Is it just me or does this place look a little like a movie set?" I asked Alex as we passed by the identical buildings with clean storefronts and snow-covered awnings.

"It's not just you," she agreed. She parked in front of the post office. The streets were empty. "We're not going to find anyone around on a Sunday. And there aren't any hotels here."

"If you dropped in on this town and kidnapped a little girl, where would you go?"

"Unless they cased the place ahead of time, they wouldn't have expected it to look like this. If we're thinking O'Neil and Woody, they've both lived in New York their whole lives. This would be like going to the moon."

"Right. They would've driven to the nearest town with a hotel," I said as I punched information into the GPS.

"And kept the girl there?"

"Something on a highway. A motel with exterior doors. They could pay in cash, smuggle the girl into the room…this time of year, I can't imagine the motels are very busy."

"I'm game. Whatcha got?"

"Highway 71. It's twenty-five miles south, and there are three motels within a half-mile of each other."

"Let's check it out. If nothing else, we can get a room, set up the laptop, and then we can check in with Bobby and Carolyn to see how things are progressing."

"A room?" I asked her with a grin. "Just one?"

"Two," she corrected, giving me a classic Alex glare. "Don't be an ass."

"Hey, you said it. And I don't know what you think of me, but I'm not easy. You've at least got to buy me dinner first."

She rolled her eyes and let out a long-suffering sigh, but she couldn't stop the smile.

**

* * *

**

Carolyn POV----

"Detective, I hope you know that Dr. Rodgers is not your personal assistant."

It was Ross, and he was bellowing the words across the squad room as Bobby and I walked in.

"Captain?" Bobby questioned.

"You called her out at midnight to look over a corpse," he clarified.

"She is a medical examiner," I reminded him sarcastically.

"It's not your place to do that!" he yelled, ignoring me altogether. "She does not work for you."

"I didn't _tell_ her to do anything," Bobby said, keeping his cool. "I asked her if she would and she agreed. I thought that the other ME was missing something, and Rodgers has proven that to be a correct assumption. In fact, she has basically cleared me of this murder charge."

"I didn't realize you were assigned the Barnes murder."

"Captain," Bobby began, but Ross was on a roll.

"You shouldn't be touching that investigation. You're the prime suspect! But you're turning evidence into the lab, you're questioning the ME's findings…"

"What's your problem, Captain?" I asked him. I couldn't figure out what had him in such an uproar.

"My office. Both of you. And where are the other two?"

Bobby and I looked at each other with trepidation before slowly following Ross into his office.

Neither of us answered his question about Mike and Alex, although since Alex wouldn't be at work tomorrow, we would have to tell him sooner or later.

But considering his mood, I was going with later.

Once we were inside, Ross slammed the door and then turned around.

"Captain," Bobby said again.

"Can it," he said calmly, all of his anger gone. "Something's not right around here."

"Now I'm really confused," I admitted. "Are you pissed at us or not?"

"Not. But something's up and I don't know who's involved. I requested the paperwork on Stoat's transfer like you asked. It's missing."

"The request form is missing?"

"Uh huh. And the chief called a few minutes ago to ask me what case it pertained to."

"Why would Moran care that you were looking for that information?" I asked him.

"I've got a better question. How would Moran even _know_ I was looking for it?" Ross countered.

Ah…so that was it. Someone was either keeping an eye on Ross or someone in the records room was keeping Moran in the loop. Either way, it had been a good idea for Ross to pretend to be upset with our investigation. He was drawing a virtual line in the sand and keeping me and Bobby firmly on the other side, just in case anyone was reporting back to the chief.

"And I checked into Testarossa," he added.

"Yeah?"

"He's in solitary."

"Why?"

"That's what I tried to find out, but that place is in information lockdown. All I know is that he has his own cell and he still has all of his privileges – mail, phone, TV…even conjugal visits."

"Has someone been visiting him?" I asked.

"No one's talking. I only got what I got after squeezing a guard that owed me a favor. And he made me promise not to use his name."

"So Testarossa's doing easy time," Bobby said thoughtfully. I knew his brain had kicked into overdrive. But Ross wasn't done.

"There's more. Moran also ordered me to bench you," he told Bobby. "With charges pending, he's putting you on suspension."

"Captain, those charges will be gone by the end of the day. Rodgers _did_ find exculpatory evidence," I told him. Bobby did not need a suspension right now.

"And I think we need to sit on that as long as we can. Moran is hiding something. If we start disputing the evidence, then he's going to sling more mud. If we wait it out until they apply for an arrest warrant, then you and your partner…where is your partner?" he asked suddenly. "And where is Logan?"

"Uh…there have been um…new developments," Bobby told him. Ross sighed and ran his hand over his face.

"What?" he asked warily.

"My niece was kidnapped. Alex and Mike went to Minnesota."

"And it's related to this?"

"What do you think?" I asked curtly. For a smart man, he sure did have moments of inanity.

Ross' phone buzzed and he picked it up quickly, listened for a second, and then hung up.

"I think you two need to get the hell out of here. Moran is one his way up. With Campbell and Horsley."

"IAB? Has a warrant been issued?" Bobby asked.

"I don't think so. They must be planning on taking you in for questioning," he said, rushing us out the door. "Take the stairs. I'll check in with you later."

Bobby and I hustled through the squad room and for good measure, Ross shouted out at us.

"And the next time I tell you to walk away from a case, you'd damn well better listen!"

We made it to the stairwell just as we heard the ping of the arriving elevator.

"Ross just covered your ass," I said as we hurried down eleven flights. "I never thought I'd see the day."

"Neither did I. What the hell is this about? Is Moran just taking advantage of the opportunity, or is he the one that started this?"

"You got me. But if we're going to sit on the physical evidence, then let's go talk to those dancers. I'm guessing they all liked you, right?"

"Why would you say that?"

"Bobby," I said with a laugh. He was so blind to his own self-worth. "Because you're a nice guy and you treat women with respect. Not to mention that you're pretty cute."

He flushed quickly and tried to stammer out a response, but I just waved him off.

"Never mind. You don't need to answer. I'm sure they all loved you, so let's go see how well they stick to their stories when they remember what a nice guy you are."

TBC...


	9. Chapter 9

**Bobby POV**

* * *

I was still reeling from shock at Ross' support when we pulled up in front of Testarossa's old club. It now belonged to his brother, Jimmy. I didn't know Jimmy, but he had a mile-long sheet full of petty crimes.

"Is Candi working tonight?" I asked the bouncer. I didn't know him, either. He glanced at me and then looked Carolyn over carefully with an appreciative eye.

"Who's the stick of dynamite?" he asked me, nodding his head toward Carolyn. I had no idea what he was talking about.

"Candi. Is she working?" I asked again.

"She don't work here no more," he replied, still eyeballing Carolyn. I didn't like the way he was watching her, so I eased myself in between the two of them.

"Where does she work now?"

"Why should I tell you?"

"Look," Carolyn said, stepping in front of me and leaning in towards the bouncer. She lowered her voice to him conspiratorially. "The bitch was messing with my man here and that ain't cool. I need to set her straight - you feelin' me?"

"I get ya, mama. She's over at the 'Stang. Been there a week now."

"That's a step up, yeah?" Carolyn asked him. _How did she know this stuff_?

"Yeah, a big step."

"Anybody else go with her?"

"Angel. And I think Amber did, too, but I'm not sure about that. I know she ain't here no more."

Candi, Angel, and Amber. The three dancers who had provided the police with witness statements.

"Thanks," Carolyn told him, giving him a pat on his cheek. Then she grabbed me by the arm and we went back to the car.

"I don't even want to know," I said as I started the car.

"What?"

"You just fit in anywhere you go, don't you? Even a damn strip club."

"I wasn't always a cop," she replied mysteriously. I looked at her quickly.

"If you tell me you used to be a stripper…"

She laughed out loud and shook her head.

"No way. I don't think that highly of myself. But I do know how to talk to people."

"Yes you do," I agreed. "So where's this 'Stang?"

As I drove, I tried Alex on the cell again, but it went straight to voice mail. I knew from experience that German Lake was no man's land as far as cell service went, so I sent her another text. I'd meant to do it before going to Testarossa's club, but I didn't, so now that I had another chance, I was going to take it.

Because I couldn't in good conscience go into a strip club without giving her a heads up, even if it was for the job.

"Any word from Alex?" Carolyn asked as I typed in my text.

"Nothing really. I think they're just getting started. Have you heard from Mike?"

"He sent me a text, but he said the reception there is crappy. He said there was mud at the house."

"Where there should have been none?"

"Snow covered fields. No mud in sight except for in the tracks to and from the girl's window."

"Did they get a sample of it?"

"You have to ask?"

I smiled. No, I didn't have to ask. I had no doubt that they had a sample.

My phone buzzed as Alex replied to my text. I smiled and typed another quick reply.

"There it is," she told me, pointing to a building on the corner. I found a parking space fairly close and we got out of the car.

"I think I'll let you do the talking," I told her as we crossed the street.

My cell phone rang before we approached the bouncer, so we paused on the sidewalk long enough for me to answer. It was Ross.

"Where are you?"

"At a strip club called the Mustang. We're getting ready to go in now. The witnesses seem to have gotten better jobs."

"Watch your back."

"Why, what's going on?"

"I've been checking out Stoat and Taggart. Taggart has a brother."

"Yeah, we know about him. He's in North Carolina."

"Well, he used his credit card two hours ago on the Jersey Turnpike."

"They called in reinforcements?"

"Prison records show that Taggart made a call to a 9-1-9 area code right after your partner went to visit him."

"That's Raleigh."

"Hometown of Adam Taggart."

"They don't have enough muscle on the outside," I mused. "That means it probably is O'Neil and Woody out in Minnesota. They didn't have anyone left here and after Alex went to talk to Taggart, he knew we were onto them."

"Just watch yourself, Detective."

"Thanks for the heads up."

I hung up and told Carolyn about Adam Taggart.

"So he's probably here, looking for us."

"Probably."

"What the hell is this, Bobby? This is about more than revenge. Why does Moran hate you so much?"

"I have no idea. I really don't. But he always has."

"So what's our theory here? Moran made a deal with Testarossa? He's giving him a cushy sentence in exchange for contacts that can screw you over?"

"It seems that way," I agreed, but it also made no sense. _Why_?

"Moran must have needed Testarossa for something," I mumbled.

"For something more than getting you?"

"He didn't need to come after me like this. Like Logan said, there are certainly other, easier ways that he could've made life difficult for me. This is a pretty complex plot. They dug up a dead girl, for God's sake."

"Yeah, let's talk about her. Why her?"

"Because I knew her. I guess."

"But you didn't, not really. If they wanted to pin you with a murder, why not kill someone more…meaningful to you?"

"You mean like Alex?" I asked in horror. I didn't even like to think that thought.

"Maybe. I don't know. I'm just wondering why they picked someone you hadn't seen in a year. We'll get these statements straightened out and you'll be off the hook. They put this thing together with bubble gum. It's not making sense. This girl was killed a month ago, and she was buried. Why dig her up?"

"And who really killed her? I mean, whoever did it is running the risk of being caught now. The body was undetected for a month, but now they've brought it to light. There's an investigation. Why do that?"

"Someone else found the body," she stated after a moment. "It wasn't supposed to be found, but once it was, they used it. Stoat and Testarossa knew her and knew her friends. So the killer reached out to them to get help framing you."

"So you're saying…"

"What if the killer is Moran?"

**

* * *

**

Alex POV----

We checked all three motels. None of the clerks recognized either O'Neil or Woody when we showed the pictures that Bobby had sent to my phone. Nor did they recognize Mollie's photo.

But that didn't mean that they weren't there. None of the clerks presently on duty had been working the night before. In a couple of hours, the night shifts would be back. We would do the rounds again.

In the meantime, we checked into The Motel. That's what it was called. It was a one story u-shaped building with exterior room doors. We got two rooms on the side opposite the office.

"Drop your bag and then come over," I told Logan as I stuck the key in the lock.

"Alex, I'm telling you, you've got to finesse me a little more than that."

"Mike, I swear to God…"

"I'm kidding. I'll be right there," he told me as he shoved his door open.

I went into my room and looked around. It was a dump. This sucked. I should be on my honeymoon right now. Or at the very least, I should have Bobby standing beside me with his soulful eyes and his intoxicating smell. Huh. When had I become so dependant on him? _Don't kid yourself, Alex_. It's been years.

I'd tried calling Bobby a few times during the day, but the service was so sketchy that most of the time I couldn't get it to go through. The one time it had rang, the call had gone through to his voice mail.

I did manage to get a few text messages from him. I'm sure he'd been trying to call me, too, but the good thing about a text was that you could send it even without a signal and it would just go through whenever it could.

The first one had been a shock. _Moran is involved. I'm suspended. I'm fine_.

I had replied: _I knew it. It doesn't matter. And you are so much more than fine_.

The second one had made me laugh. _What are you wearing_?

I had replied: _Long underwear. I'm with Mike, remember?_

The third one…well, it had been classic Bobby. _I'm going to a strip club. It's strictly business. Carolyn's with me. _

I had replied: _Don't let anybody pick you up._

I checked my phone now for anything new and saw that I had one more text. It was in response to my last reply.

_Have you seen these girls? They're not very big. I don't think they could lift me. _

I laughed out loud. His sense of humor popped up at the strangest times. But I was glad he was holding it together. If there was ever a time to lose it, this was probably it.

I had a half of a bar's worth of signal, so I tried calling him, but it went to voice mail again. I left him a message and then tossed my phone on the dresser.

I shrugged off my coat and threw it onto the bed along with my duffle. Logan tapped on the door as I was pulling out the laptop.

"You decent?"

"Come on in."

"I checked out the cars in the – shit, Eames!" Mike shouted.

I looked up at where he stood in the doorway and saw him reaching for his gun before he took off running.

By the time I reached the door, Logan was already halfway across the parking lot, and on the far side of the lot was Marty O'Neil.

With my gun in my hand, I started running. O'Neil was running away from the highway, so I wasn't sure what his plan was, but clearly he had seen Mike. And he had to know why we were here.

Did that mean that Mollie was in this motel? Should I stop and look for her and let Mike chase O'Neil?

These thoughts raced through my mind as my feet pounded through the snowy pavement. I kept expecting to bust my ass at any moment, but I didn't. Mike was still twenty yards or so ahead of me and O'Neil was another thirty beyond him. I could only see the tops of their heads at this point because they had cleared the parking lot and were now in the field beyond, which was down a small slope.

Mike was gaining on O'Neil, so I made up my mind to let him finish the chase while I went back to bang on doors looking for Mollie. I didn't want Woody to realize that we were after them and take off somewhere with the girl.

But as I pulled up and took one last look in Mike's direction, he disappeared.

_What?_ Mike was there one minute and gone the next.

"Logan!" I shouted. O'Neil looked back over his shoulder and I saw his look of surprise before he turned and kept running.

I took off again and crested the hill at the edge of the parking lot and looked down. It wasn't a field. It was a lake.

O'Neil and Mike had been running over the mostly frozen water.

My eyes searched the terrain frantically, and then I saw it. A break in the ice.

It hadn't been able to withstand Mike's weight and he'd fallen through.

TBC...

A/N: I know - Logan called her Eames.


	10. Chapter 10

**Bobby POV**

* * *

I couldn't wrap my head around the possibility that Moran was a killer.

It fit our working theory, with the exception of the fact that he was the freakin' chief of D's. Of course, I knew he was an asshole, but that didn't mean he was a killer.

The powers-that-be usually tended to vet their people a little better than that.

I needed Alex. I could think better when she was around. She had a knack for thinking of things that I didn't. She looked at the world from a different angle and her perspective kept me honest. I sometimes had a tendency to get stuck on a single track, but she always made me see the big picture.

I wanted to call her and brainstorm with her about all of this latest information, but it would have to wait.

Instead, I tabled my thoughts and we went into the club in search of Candi. I let Carolyn work the bouncer again because she clearly had a knack for it.

And she didn't disappoint. Within five minutes, we were backstage. Where the dancers were getting ready for their performances.

I quickly found a spot on the floor and kept my eyes glued to it.

"Candi Ayers," Carolyn called out.

"Who wants to know?"

"We just want to talk to her for a minute about the statement she made to the cops."

"You're not cops?"

"No."

"He is," a voice called out, and I finally had to look up. I recognized the girl from my undercover work, but I hadn't known her name. She'd had a thing going on with Stoat. "He ratted out Mike and got him sent to prison."

"You must be Candi," Carolyn said as she approached the girl. "And you're right, he is a cop. But I'm not. And I just want to ask you a couple of questions."

"I'm on in five minutes," she replied haughtily.

"It'll only take three. You told the police that this man was with Ginger Barnes."

"That's right."

"You know that's not true," I said quietly. She shrugged and went back to touching up her make-up.

"It could be. Mike told me you were with her."

"Stoat," I clarified. "When did you talk to him?"

"I get to visit him once a week."

"And he asked you to tell the cops about me and Ginger?"

"No."

"Why did her name even come up?" Carolyn asked her. The girl realized that she was caught in a lie, but she wasn't ready to give it up.

"I didn't say it did. He told me a _year_ ago that you and her were doin' the nasty. That was before you busted him."

"Candi," Carolyn said in an admonishing voice.

"Look, I got to get on stage. I'm done with you."

She left us, and as I realized once again that I was the only man in a room full of mostly-naked women, I refocused on the fraying carpet.

"She's lying," a voice spoke up. I was afraid to look, but I had to since I finally had someone willing to speak up.

"And you are…"

"Amber. I made a statement against you, too, but it was a lie. I didn't even remember who you were, but I do now. And you were always nice to us."

"That's right," Carolyn encouraged. "He's a nice guy. And he's got a wife. He wasn't messing around with Ginger, was he?"

"No. I never saw him say more than hi to her. That was about all he ever said to any of us. But he always made sure we got to our cars safely and that nobody hassled us."

"Amber, who asked you to lie. Was it Mike Stoat?"

She nodded, hesitantly at first, but then more vehemently.

"He told me he'd give me a thousand dollars. And he got me a job here. It's better than the other place."

"Did he pay you? Did you get your money?"

"Yeah, some red-headed guy came in last week and gave it to me. Cash."

"Last week? But they just took your statement yesterday after they found Ginger's body."

"Mike said that he wasn't sure when they would come. But he told me what to say when they did. And he said if I didn't, then I'd end up just like Ginger."

"When was the last time you saw Ginger?" I asked her.

"It was like I said in my statement. Only she wasn't with you. She was with some old guy. He'd been coming into the club off and on over the past few months."

"Testarossa's club?"

"Yeah. He started requesting private shows with Ginger. I don't know if she saw him outside of the club or not, but that last time I saw her, I know she left with him."

Carolyn and I looked at each other.

"Would you recognize the guy if you saw him again?"

"Definitely."

"How late are you going to be here? We're going to go get a photo and come back to show it to you."

"I'll be here until two."

"Okay, Amber. Thank you so much. We'll be back."

We left the club and went out to the car.

"You really think it's Moran?" I asked Carolyn as we climbed into the SUV.

"Try this. We already know Moran is an adulterer. It wouldn't be a stretch to put him in a strip club, right?"

"Right."

"So he comes in, has a thing for Ginger, and he finally talks her into leaving with him."

"And then he kills her?"

"What if it was an accident?"

"I don't know," I said, shaking my head.

"We need to get a six-pack of photos and stick Moran in it. See if she can pick him out."

"Okay," I agreed. It wouldn't hurt.

I pulled away from the curb and headed for the apartment.

"I'm going to call Ross. He stuck his neck out for us on this one. If Moran is trying to cover up a murder, then…"

"Bobby, look out!" Carolyn shouted.

In a split second, I felt the impact and the SUV went spinning through an intersection before slamming into a fire hydrant. The air bags deployed and water burst out of the hydrant, spraying onto the SUV.

I shoved at the air bag to get it out of my face and then looked over to Carolyn. She was bleeding but she was conscious, pushing at her own air bag.

"Are you okay?" I asked her.

"Yeah. I think so."

"What the fuck was that?"

"He plowed into us. I don't think it was an accident."

"Someone didn't want us talking to those girls," I deduced.

We were only two blocks from the club. I slammed my shoulder into the door until it finally opened and then I got out on shaky legs. I was instantly soaked to the bone. I shook my head in an effort to dispel the dizziness and then I looked down the block.

I could see a large black pick-up truck parked in front of the club. It had a large Tarheel decal on the back window. It had to be Taggart's brother.

"We need to get back to Amber," I told Carolyn. I held out my hand to her and she used it to leverage herself across the front seat and out the driver's side door. We started jogging towards the club.

"How would they know?"

"Logical progression. They don't know which girl talked to us, though."

We burst back into the club and brushed off the bouncer, instead heading straight for the back. I'm sure we made quite the sight - soaking wet clothes and bloody faces.

A scream from backstage had us full-on running. I pulled my weapon and my badge and threw open the dressing room door.

**

* * *

**

Alex POV-------

I didn't stop to think. I just ran. As fast as I could, down the slope, and out onto the lake. I was trying to keep track of the time in my head.

He'd been under for thirty seconds.

I couldn't run all the way to the hole, or I'd likely make a bigger break and go under myself, so instead I threw myself down onto my stomach and low-crawled the last several feet.

I finally got close enough to look into the water. I was at the one minute mark, and I couldn't see a damn thing.

Keeping most of my weight as far from the edge as possible, I stuck my arm down into the icy water. Nothing. _Shit, shit, shit_.

I scooted closer, sticking my arm in deeper. Seventy-five seconds. _It's cold water_, I reminded myself. His body has surely gone into the diving reflex by now. That would buy me more time.

Throwing caution to the wind, I got right up on the edge and thrust both arms down into the darkness. And I felt something.

I grabbed at the fabric that had brushed my fingers and held on tight. It was his coat. I kept hold and started pushing myself backwards. Ninety seconds.

"Come on!" I shouted out in frustration. It was challenging work, but I was desperate and nothing was going to keep me from getting him out.

I had his head and shoulders above water. He wasn't breathing.

One hundred seconds.

I couldn't get a good grip on the ice to use as leverage and I couldn't get him the rest of the way out. I jammed my fingers into a spot on the ice as far away as I could reach. It was risky, but what else was I going to do? I sure as hell wasn't giving up on him.

With my right hand gripping the slight hand-hold I'd created in the ice, I used my left hand and strength I didn't know I had to haul him out. I rolled him over me and onto thicker ice and then I hustled to assess the damage. It had been almost two full minutes.

No pulse.

"Come on, Mike," I yelled as I yanked the zipper down on his coat. "Come on."

I put my hands on his chest and began compressions. _It was cold water. He's going to be fine._

I covered my mouth over his and breathed for him. His chest expanded with the movement, which was a good thing, so I continued the process.

Three more times.

Three more endless, agonizing sessions of forcing his heart to beat and pushing air into his lungs before he finally took a breath on his own.

I stopped and just watched him as he took a couple more shaky breaths and became aware of his surroundings. He was still very, very pale. I waited as he looked at me and his confusion cleared.

"If you wanted to kiss me again all you had to do was ask," he rasped out.

I wanted to laugh and cry and beat him senseless all at the same time. I ended up doing a combination. I laughed as tears rolled down my face. I refrained from beating him.

"You scared the shit out of me."

"You saved my life."

"Not yet. You're going to go into shock if we don't get you warm."

"O'Neil?"

"He's gone."

Mike closed his eyes in frustration.

"I had him. I'm sorry."

"Yeah, because it's your fault you fell through the ice," I said sarcastically. He was as bad as Bobby, trying to shoulder the blame for everything. "Come on. Can you stand?"

"I think so," he said, slowly attempting to get to his feet. I supported him as best as I could. "How the hell did you get me out of there, anyway?"

"Piece of cake," I told him, although my energy was completely zapped now that the moment of crisis was over. It was all I could do to help him back to the hotel.

"Hey, those cars," he said as we approached his room.

"Yeah?"

"I was going to tell you that three of them are rentals," he said. I looked around the lot quickly, assessing the cars.

I hadn't caught the rentals versus non-rentals like Mike had, but I had made a mental note of all of the cars when we'd arrived. The green Ford Focus was missing.

"Was one of the rentals a green Focus?" I asked him as he reached in his pocket for his room key. I took it from his numb fingers and opened the door for him.

"Yeah," he said in exhaustion. I got him into the bathroom and reached in the shower to turn on the water.

"Can you do this?" I asked him. I was waiting for his flirtatious comment, but it didn't come. Instead, he looked at me intently.

"You're freezing, too. Go get yourself in some dry clothes. I can handle this."

"I will. I'm going to knock on some doors first. Just in case. She could still be here."

I grabbed his duffle bag off of the bed and brought it into the bathroom for him so that he could get some dry clothes and then I turned to leave.

"Alex. Thank you," he said sincerely. "I mean it. I don't know how you did it, but…I owe you. And Bobby was right. You are Wonder Woman."

TBC...


	11. Chapter 11

**Alex POV**

* * *

I left Mike in his room, locking the door up behind me on my way out. I stood on the sidewalk outside of his door and took a moment just to breathe.

I wanted to call Bobby. I just wanted to hear his voice. I was feeling unsteady and I really, really _needed_ to hear his voice.

The standing joke around the department was that Bobby didn't do so well when I wasn't around. He needed me to function properly.

What everyone failed to realize was that I needed him just as much. _I_ didn't do so well when _he_ wasn't around. And the stress of the day was just making it worse. It hadn't even been twenty-four hours and already I felt like I was only part of a person...like a vital part of me was missing. And I guess it was.

I pulled out my phone, but of course, I still had no service. I sighed and closed my eyes so that I could picture his face. That worked to settle me somewhat.

Which was good because I had work to do.

So I ignored Mike's instructions. And despite the fact that my wet coat had caused me to start shivering uncontrollably, I headed for the motel office. The night shift was on.

"I need to know which guest registered with a green Ford Focus," I told him.

"We don't…"

"Yes you do. You wrote down my vehicle information, so I'm sure you have the others. Which guest," I repeated, flashing the clerk my badge.

I had learned that most people were quick to cooperate when they saw the badge. They never stopped to think about jurisdiction. He looked through his records.

"Robert Goren," he told me after a minute. Of course. Why not?

"He paid cash?" I asked, pulling the registration slip out of his hand.

"Yes ma'am."

"When did he check in?"

"It was real late on Friday night."

"Just one guy?" I asked, handing him back the paper.

"At the time. But since then, I've seen that he has his daughter with him. And another guy, I think."

"So it's two men and a girl. That didn't seem odd to you?"

He shrugged at me as I pulled out the picture of Mollie.

"Is this the girl?" I asked, showing him the photo.

"That's her."

"Do you not watch the news?" I asked him angrily. "There's an Amber Alert out for this girl."

"I don't have a TV," he replied with a shrug. He probably didn't know what an Amber Alert was.

"What room?" I asked.

"I can't…"

"What room," I interrupted, this time pulling my coat back far enough for him to see my weapon. It was a cheap scare tactic, but he was just the kind of guy it would work on.

"14," he said quickly. "But they're not there."

"Where'd they go?"

"Checked out about fifteen minutes ago," he said. Damn, we must have just missed them. O'Neil must have circled back and they'd high-tailed it out of there.

"Do you know where they were going?" I asked him. He knew. He didn't say it, but one look at his face told me that he knew.

"He gave me fifty bucks not to say," he admitted.

"How 'bout this. I won't throw you in jail if you _do_ say," I countered.

"They asked about the next closest motel."

"You can see it from here. Why would they ask that?"

"No, down the highway. He asked how far down 71 before another batch of motels."

"And?"

"Windom. About twenty minutes." _They'd almost be there by now_. "But he asked about a gas station, too. There's one a mile up the road."

I ran out of the office and went to bang on Mike's door.

"They're heading south. Come on!" I shouted through the door.

I didn't wait for him, but instead ran to the car and started it up.

He pulled the door open, dressed in dry jeans and a sweatshirt but of course no coat since his was still drenched. He hesitated at the doorway and caught my eye through the windshield. He ran back inside of the room for a second, and then came bolting for the car with a sweatshirt in his hand.

"You didn't change," he commented as he climbed in and buckled up. "I knew you wouldn't."

"I'm fine," I insisted as I whipped the car out onto the highway. "The clerk says they asked about motels down South 71."

"Let's go then. Here, put this on," he said, handing me the sweatshirt and taking hold of the wheel.

"Mike," I argued.

"Put the damn thing on. You catch pneumonia and Goren'll kick my ass."

"I'm a Goren. I'll kick your ass," I grumbled, but I did as he said.

With my foot mashed on the gas pedal, I unbuckled and slipped out of my still-wet coat. My sweater underneath was just barely damp, so I left it on pulled the warm, dry sweatshirt over top of it before re-buckling.

"Thanks," I told him.

"No problem. So the clerk saw the girl?"

"Yeah. See if you can get a hold of the State Patrol. We'll probably beat them there, but we should let them know what's going on. 2007 Ford Focus, dark green, Minnesota plate 062BWW."

"The clerk gave you the plate number?"

"Sort of." I had memorized it off the registration slip.

I flew down the highway while Mike tried to get a call through, but he wasn't having much luck. I kept my eyes peeled for the Focus, but at the moment, we were the only ones on the road.

Halfway to Windom, it started snowing.

"That's what we need," Mike commented. Then he started coughing and it was almost a mile before he got himself under control.

"You okay?"

"I think I've got half of that lake in my lungs," he replied dryly.

"After we get these guys, you're going to see a doctor."

"I don't need a doctor."

"Mike."

"Alex."

I sighed heavily and quit. I wasn't really one to make that argument considering how much I hated going to the doctor myself.

"When we get back, Rodgers gets to check you out," I said finally.

"She's gonna love that."

"Yeah, well – hey, look!" I pointed to the east side of the highway. It was a Super 8.

"You think they'd stop at the first one?" he asked as I pulled into the parking lot.

"They would if they trusted that they'd bought off the clerk."

I drove through the parking lot slowly as we looked at all of the vehicles. It was getting dark, and the snow made for poor visibility.

But there it was. Parked in between an eighteen-wheeler and a pick-up. The green Focus.

"Mike," I said, gesturing toward the car as I drove past it.

"Uh huh. I wonder if this clerk will be as helpful as the last one."

We got out and quickly went into the office. I slapped my badge on the counter to get the clerk's attention.

"You just had a man check in," I stated. "What room?"

"Uh…ma'am, with the snow coming down, people are stopping. I've checked in three men in the past fifteen minutes."

I looked at Logan and he rolled his eyes.

"Robert Goren," I told the clerk.

"Oh, yeah. Uh huh. Okay," he mumbled, looking through the paperwork.

"Room 127. It's on the far side."

"Call the cops," I told him as we left the lobby.

"Hey, I thought you were the cops!" he called out, but we ignored him.

We started back across the lot, but Mike had to stop along the way due to another coughing fit. He stepped behind a car to stay out of sight. I kept heading for the room.

I approached the door to Room 127 and listened. I stepped back when I heard footsteps approaching from behind me.

"I know you weren't going to go in there without me," Mike said quietly.

"I'm just listening," I said, avoiding the question. Because I had planned on going in.

"Listening with your gun in your hand?" he countered as he moved around to the other side of the doorway. He pulled out his gun, too.

"I hope it still works," he said with a quick grin. He was making a joke, but I had no doubt that he'd already taken it apart, dried it out, and put fresh ammo in it after his plunge into the lake.

"Ready?"

At his nod, I took a step back and then kicked the door as hard as I could. The frame cracked under the pressure and the door swung open.

There was a mad scramble on the inside. O'Neil had been sitting on the bed, but he rolled across it to the other side and onto the floor.

Woody was standing next to the bathroom door. I prayed that Mollie was locked inside the bathroom because I didn't see her in the room.

"Don't move!" I shouted as Woody started to reach for his bag.

"Get out of there, O'Neil," Logan called out. But O'Neil popped up from the far side of the bed and pointed a gun at me.

"Drop your weapons," he ordered. Yeah, like that was going to happen. We had him two-to-one because Woody was just standing still with his hands up in the air.

"Go ahead and shoot me. And then my partner kills you," I told him. "Either way, you're not getting out of here."

O'Neil kept his gun pointed at me while he considered his possibilities. Mike worked his way around the room, keeping his weapon trained on O'Neil, but watching Woody as well. I stood directly across from O'Neil and aimed for his head.

"Where's the girl?" I asked him.

"There's no girl," he said.

"Yeah, you guys just took a little vacation to Minnesota," Mike replied as he kept easing closer to O'Neil.

"Stay right there," O'Neil said, shifting his gun to Mike.

"Mollie!" I shouted out. "Mollie, it's Alex! Are you in there? Don't come out, just call to me."

"Alex? Bobby's Alex?"

I breathed a sigh of relief at the sound of her voice. She was safe in the bathroom. We had come in at the perfect time.

"Yeah, Bobby's Alex. Just stay there, sweetie."

"What's it going to be, Marty?" Mike asked O'Neil. "You gonna go down for someone else? This isn't your thing. Someone put you up to it."

"The Minnesota police is coming," I added. "If you're going to talk, you should do it now. Because once they arrest you for kidnapping, then you're all theirs. If you convince us you might know something, maybe we can get you extradited to New York."

"It's bigger than you think," he said, starting to waver. "You don't know what you've gotten into."

"I think we do. And we can take him down if you tell us what you know."

_Say a name_, I silently chanted. _Give us a name_.

"Shut up, Marty," Woody said.

"No! I came this far with you, but this is fucked up, man."

And then everything happened at once. Just as O'Neil lowered his pistol, Woody lunged for his bag and pulled out a gun. Mike and I both whirled onto Woody, and each of us fired a shot as he pulled the trigger and fired at O'Neil.

Woody went down. O'Neil went down. Woody fired again as Mike jumped on him to subdue him, and for a second I thought he'd gotten him, but it had only grazed him. But it was close. Really close. He had a red mark across his cheek where the bullet had whizzed past.

O'Neil was dead. He'd taken a shot to the head. Woody was bleeding out quickly, having taken two bullets to the chest. Mike got the gun out of Woody's hand and gave it to me before he started attempting first aid.

I could hear sirens approaching, but from the amount of blood that pumped from the gunshot wounds, I didn't expect Woody to make it.

"Who sent you out here, Woody?" Mike asked in a last ditch effort. He wasn't going to get anywhere with him.

I jammed both guns in my waistband and headed for the bathroom.

"Mollie, open the door honey. But keep your eyes closed, okay?"

She opened the door and I grabbed her up in a hug.

"Are you okay? Did they hurt you?"

"No. Where's my mom?"

"We're going to take you to her, I promise. Let's get out of this room, though, okay? Keep your eyes closed and hold my hand."

I led her out of the room and made it out of the door just as the police arrived.

And that was when the real fun started.

We had to explain why a New York detective and a civilian had just shot a man inside of a Minnesota motel room.

It helped that Mike had his private investigator's license.

It helped that Mollie stated that we had saved her. And clearly we had.

It helped even more that Mollie's dad Bill was with the Minnesota State Patrol. As soon as word came through that we'd found her, he drove like a bat out of hell down from German Lake. He was pretty damn grateful that we'd found his little girl, and he was more than willing to go to bat for us.

Still, the cops kept Mike and I separated while they took our statements. And of course, they had to call Ross. I had a feeling he would actually be relieved once Bobby and I left the department. And maybe a little bored.

But finally, after several long hours, we were free to go.

"That dead stripper," Mike said to me as we climbed wearily into the car. "Woody found her."

"He what?"

"He told me that he found the girl's body. Two weeks ago. His report was intercepted and he was ordered to let it go."

"By?"

"Moran."

TBC...


	12. Chapter 12

**Bobby POV**

* * *

We burst through the dressing room door just as a man grabbed Amber and punched her in the face.

She pulled away from him, so I jammed my weapon into its holster and lunged for him, slamming him into the lockers. The whole row of lockers gave way under our weight and we went crashing to the ground.

The man, Adam Taggart, came up swinging. He caught me in the temple, stunning me for a split second, but then I managed to pop him on the jaw.

He scrambled over the assorted debris, trying to get to the back exit, but I kept after him.

Girls were screaming, and I heard one of them calling 9-1-1.

"Give it up, Taggart," Carolyn called out. I knew she had her weapon pointed at him, but we were moving around too much and he was getting too close to the door for my comfort.

I couldn't quite get back to my feet amidst the wreckage, but I was able to launch myself at his legs and sent him flying into the door. He kicked me out of the way and yanked the door open, but I made a grab for him just before the door closed.

One more quick movement, and I was finally able to pin his body beneath mine, half in and half out of the doorway.

"Stop!" I shouted at him, out of breath and irritated with his persistence. He wriggled around but I got his arms behind him and snapped the cuffs into place.

"What the fuck, man?" Taggart yelled.

"Adam Taggart, you are under arrest," I told him, slowly getting to my feet and jerking him up with me.

"For what?"

"Um…let me think about it. Assault. Resisting arrest. Give me a minute and I'll come up with something else. Oh yeah, that's right. Let's throw in fleeing the scene of an accident and attempted murder of a police officer."

"That's a load of bullshit."

"How'd you know we were at the club?" I asked, ignoring his denial. I brought him back through the door and _accidentally_ shoved him into the doorframe as I did so. "Who called you?"

"It was Candi, wasn't it?" Carolyn spoke up. I looked across the room and saw that Candi was eyeing Carolyn warily.

"You called it in as soon as we left, didn't you? Told them that Amber was talking to us?"

"You ratted me out?" Amber shouted at Candi.

And then there was a melee.

Amber dove at Candi, taking her down to the ground. Carolyn tried to stop them, but she got pulled into the brawl as more and more dancers took sides.

I couldn't let go of Taggart to help, but fortunately Carolyn got things under control in a matter of minutes. She pulled the two main players apart and things dwindled down from there.

"Next one that hits me is going to jail," Carolyn said crossly as she pushed her hair back out of her face. She had a bruise forming on her cheek.

"I can't believe you told him!" Amber said again, her eye swollen from Taggart and her lip bloody from the latest fight.

"I promised Mike I would!" Candi countered.

"Who, Candi. Who did you call?"

"I called Mike."

"They let you talk to Stoat while he's in prison?" I asked her incredulously.

"Sure. He's got a cell," she told me as though I should've known.

"And you told him that Amber was talking to us?"

"Yeah."

Amber moved to take another swing at Candi, but Carolyn held her firmly in place.

And then the uniforms came in.

"What the hell is going on here?" the officer asked when he saw the mess.

And I wasn't even sure where to start.

If we took Taggart to 1PP, then Moran was going to know about it. And I just wasn't sure yet how deep Moran was involved in this thing, but for Ross not to trust him…well, that told me something.

I showed my badge and asked the officers to take Taggart to a holding cell at the 2-7.

Carolyn pressed charges against Candi for the assault, so they took her, too. We convinced them to hold off on giving her a phone call as long as possible, and she was headed for the 2-7 as well.

I thought, and I hoped I was right, that Rice and Davis were honest detectives. They had treated me decently and were actually trying to investigate the murder, even though they were being thrown off the trail fairly consistently.

And I knew Logan knew and respected the Lieutenant there, so it was the safest thing I could come up with.

I didn't want to let Amber go anywhere. I wanted her statement to be recorded before she could change her mind or someone got to her. She said her parents were living in western Pennsylvania, so I convinced her to take a little trip.

After I recorded her statement on my cell phone.

We still hadn't picked up the picture of Moran, but Carolyn found a newspaper photo of him on her cell phone. It wouldn't hold up in court, since we weren't offering her a full line-up, but she picked out his picture.

Moran had been the one with Ginger Barnes on the night she died.

It took two hours to get everything straightened out and to send the officers on their way with the prisoners. We got Amber on a bus.

And then we had to get a cab because our vehicle had been towed away from the intersection where we had left it. It was turning into a hell of a night. Fourth one in a row, really.

"I have to take back what I said," Carolyn said quietly once we were in the back of the cab. She had her head back against the seat and her eyes closed.

"What's that?" I asked, equally exhausted. The lack of sleep from the night before had most definitely caught up to me.

"I think I might have underestimated you. You're quite the doer."

"And Alex is a hell of a thinker," I added with a smile. "But I figured I would wait and let you learn that for yourself."

My cell phone buzzed and so I pulled it out of my damp pocket. I was surprised it actually still worked.

"Goren," I said tiredly.

"Van Buren called me. She said you sent a couple of perps to her. Were you going to fill me in?"

"Yes sir. I…um…it's just been a hell of a night. I was getting ready to call you, though."

"Moran's been up my ass all day. He accused me of covering for you."

"Well…"

"I know. I did. Now tell me I did the right thing."

"Amber, one of the dancers…she fingered Moran as the last man Ginger Barnes was seen with. She said he had a thing for Ginger, and that he'd been coming in to the club regularly."

"Are you suggesting that our chief of D's killed that girl?"

"I'm saying that as far as we know, he's the last one to be seen with the victim. What happened after that, I can't say. Another girl, Candi – she's Stoat's girl. She stuck to her story and then she dropped a dime on Amber when she started talking to us. Adam Taggart showed up to rough Amber up."

"So Taggart is at the 2-7?"

"Right. Him and Candi."

"What'd the stripper do?"

"She took a swing at Carolyn. We've got her on assault."

"Where's Amber now?"

"We put her on a bus to Bethlehem. I've got her statement recorded on my cell phone."

"Have you heard from your counterparts?"

"No. They're in the middle of nowhere and can't get good reception. I'm going to try them again in just a minute."

"Okay. I'll have Van Buren sit on those two at the 2-7 for now. Don't come to 1PP. Just call me in the morning."

"Yes sir. Thank you, Captain."

"The car," Carolyn mouthed to me. _Shit, I'd forgotten about that_.

I told him about the accident and that our department SUV had been towed.

He was nice enough not to remind me that considering I was on suspension, I shouldn't have been driving that vehicle. Instead, he said he would take care of it.

I hung up with the boss man, and tried dialing Alex's cell. Voice mail.

I needed to hear her voice so badly that I actually just sat and listened to her recorded message.

And then I called and listened to it again.

"Still no service?"

"No."

"Are you worried?"

"No. She's a thinker and a doer," I said, unable to resist. "She can take care of herself."

"You know, I didn't mean anything by that. I just…um…well, I only meant it as a classification of what each of us is _best_ suited for. Not that it was the _only_ thing we were suited for."

"I know. But I'll give you a hint about understanding Alex. She's never going to fit into any mold you try to apply to her. She's…um…"

"Unique. I think I'm getting that."

Just before the cab let Carolyn out at her place, Ross called again.

"I just got a call from the Division Chief of the Minnesota State Patrol," he said when I answered. I swallowed hard, an irrational fear flowing through me that something bad had happened.

I put a hand on Carolyn's forearm to stop her from getting out.

"He wanted to confirm your partner's identity and her status with the NYPD."

"She's okay?"

"As far as I know."

"Did they find Mollie?"

"I don't know anything. He asked me to vouch for her, but he wouldn't come off of any information. You still haven't talked to her?"

"No, I can't get through." As I said the words, a text message buzzed my phone. "Hold on, Captain."

I looked at my text and was relieved to see that it was from Alex.

_We found Mollie. She's fine. Bill and Lauren are here. Woody and O'Neil are dead. I'll call as soon as I can_.

"I just got a text from Alex. They found my niece. And it looks like we were right about Woody and O'Neil. But they're dead now."

"How?"

"I don't know what happened. I just got a text. She said she'd call me as soon as she could."

"Let me know."

"Want to come in?" Carolyn asked me when I hung up with the captain. We were still sitting in the cab outside her house.

I hadn't expected the offer, but something on her face told me I should accept. She looked like she didn't want to be alone.

"Sure," I agreed, pulling out my wallet to pay off the cabbie.

I followed her into the house and waited in the kitchen while she turned on lights. I got my phone out and sent Alex a reply. _You're okay?_

"Want something to drink?" Carolyn asked as she came back in the kitchen.

"Okay," I said as my phone rang. It was still in my hand, so I quickly looked at the display, expecting to see Alex's number. It was my aunt.

I stepped into the foyer to take the call. My aunt was in tears, telling me how grateful she was to Alex for helping get Mollie back safely. And then Lauren got on the phone, and then Bill, and then Mollie herself.

"Alex was so brave, even when they were shooting everywhere," Mollie said.

"It sounds like you were pretty brave, too," I told her, although my heart sank at the image Mollie's words had created.

"And Alex helped me out and she wouldn't let me look at anything and then she talked to me until my daddy got there…" I closed my eyes and listened as Mollie chattered along happily. It was a tremendous relief to know that she had escaped this situation virtually unscathed.

But damn…I needed to talk to Alex.

"And her friend Mike was really nice, too. He had blood on his face, but he was okay. And Alex had blood on her fingers, but she said she was okay, too."

And then Marian got back on the phone and she thanked me yet again and made me promise to visit once things settled down.

I found Carolyn still in the kitchen. She was sitting at the table with an open bottle of scotch and two glasses.

"Everything okay?"

"Everything is great," I said as I collapsed onto the chair.

I picked up a glass and tossed back the shot in one gulp. Carolyn promptly refilled it, and I found myself staring into the amber liquid, thinking about Alex's eyes. It was ridiculous how much I missed her.

"So Woody and O'Neil were the kidnappers," Carolyn said slowly. "O'Neil broke into your apartment. Woody mailed the drugs. Stoat ordered the dancers to make false statements about you. Moran was boffing the dead girl. What's the common thread that we're missing? How did you get dragged into all of this?"

"That's what I can't figure out. I know Moran doesn't like me, but…"

My phone rang again. I looked at the display and emotions flooded through me.

It was Alex. Finally.

TBC...


	13. Chapter 13

**Logan POV**

* * *

The state cops had been pretty reasonable. Of course, it helped that we'd found the girl, but still...they could've been dicks about it if they'd wanted to. As it was, after a few hours of telling our story, we were allowed to leave.

So we went back to the dump in Redwood Falls.

We pretty much had to since our stuff was still there, but I wasn't sure about getting into that bed. There was just no telling who had been in it before me and I wasn't going to place any bets on the thoroughness of the cleaning crew.

"Why would Moran step in to stop an investigation?" Alex asked me when we arrived at the motel. We'd been quiet for most of the drive, and I'm sure her mind was turning over all of the possible implications of the latest information.

"He wouldn't. Or he shouldn't. It should've been up to the captain at the 6-9 to make that call."

Alex nodded thoughtfully.

"I'm not working at full capacity here," she admitted. "Let's table this until the morning."

"Fine with me. My brain thanks you," I told her. And it really did because the day had just been too long. My gray matter was on hiatus.

Alex parked and we climbed out of the car. I was still coughing quite a bit and it was making my chest hurt. My head, too.

But I'll be damned if I was going to complain.

Alex had been running around for the past five hours in damp jeans, drenched boots, and no coat. Although at least the sweatshirt I had given her was dry and it so big on her that it covered her up down to mid-thigh.

But I'd also seen her hand. She'd done something to her fingers out there on that ice because they were bloody and bruised. Of course, she would never say a word about it.

But I knew I owed her my life.

"I'm going to wander around until I can find a spot that has a signal and then call Bobby," she told me as I unlocked my door. "You?"

"Did you see a bar around here anywhere?" I asked, only half teasing. A good shot of bourbon was sounding really good right about now.

"No, sorry," she laughed and headed in the direction of the lobby. "Hey, Mike," she said, turning back just before I closed the door.

"Yeah?"

"Thank you. You told me I could say it after we caught the assholes, and well…"

"You're welcome. Thank _you_," I replied sincerely. "Oh and maybe we don't mention this to Carolyn."

"You mean the part about you falling through the ice and almost drowning, or me giving you mouth to mouth?"

I laughed out loud.

"Now you're starting to sound like me," I teased. "But I meant…"

"I know what you meant," she interrupted. "It's your story to tell. Or not tell."

"I just don't want her to worry. Maybe when we get back…"

"Like I said, it's your thing," she replied with a shrug and a smile.

I had the brief thought that in another life, maybe if she weren't so in love with Goren and I weren't so in love with Carolyn…maybe we could've been pretty good together.

But she was happy and I was happy, so I wasn't going to wander down that road. As it was, she was a pretty damn good friend and I was glad for that.

She turned back around and headed for the office so I went in my room and closed the door. I was exhausted.

But my mind started racing. _We'd gotten the girl back_. As confident as I'd acted about it on the outside, I had been pretty scared on the inside.

Child abductions didn't often end well. And the longer the child was missing, the smaller their chances. Mollie had been gone for nearly twenty-four hours, the critical point in kidnappings. That was the point where positive outcomes were drastically reduced.

But we'd found her alive and unharmed.

And in the last second before death, Woody had confessed to me that he'd been the one to find Ginger's body. Two weeks ago. And that his attempts to start an investigation had been thwarted by Moran.

That fucking name again. I hated that man with such a passion. I wanted him to go down. He didn't deserve his job and he abused his power. Not to mention his unwarranted vendetta against Goren.

I flopped onto the bed still fully clothed. I wanted as little of my skin touching the fabric as possible.

I reached in my pocket and pulled out my cell phone that had somehow survived my arctic expedition. No signal. _There's a fuckin' surprise_.

I wanted to get up and find a place to call Carolyn. But my legs weren't cooperating. And my lungs were on fire and my face felt hot. I just wanted to be in my own bed with Carolyn wrapped in my arms…

And why was it that we had never actually gotten married? Oh yeah, because she didn't want to. I wondered if she still didn't. I wondered if I asked her again if she would say yes.

And then I decided, what the hell? I wanted to be married to her.

And as much as we acted like it anyway, I still knew in the back of my mind that we weren't. She could walk away from me without any paperwork.

And dammit, if she was going to leave me, I wanted her to at least have to file something with the court.

So I was going to ask her again. And again. And again. And maybe one of these days, she'd say yes.

I looked at my phone again, wishing that it had somehow magically obtained a signal. It hadn't.

I opened up a new text message. I wasn't so dumb as to think I could propose in a text, but it wouldn't hurt to romance her a little. That was one area where I knew I was lacking.

No, actually I knew that I was lacking in a lot of areas. But that was one I thought I might be able to fix. I just needed a little help.

So I didn't send a text to Carolyn. Not yet. Instead I sent one to Alex.

_What's the most romantic thing Goren ever said to you_?

She replied. _Why_?

So I said_: Are you gonna tell me or not?_

She replied. _Not_.

Me:_ Alex…please_?

She replied. _If you're trying to be romantic, just tell her how you feel. It doesn't have to be anything special, just authentic._

Authentic. Hmm…

So I gave it a shot. I typed out: _I don't know what I would do without you in my life. I love you and I miss you_.

And then I got a reply from Alex. _That's great. But try sending it to Carolyn_.

"Oh my God," I said aloud in the room.

I felt my face flush even though I was alone. I had sent my romantic text to Alex.

I quickly typed _I'm sorry_! to Alex.

And then sent the other message to Carolyn this time.

"Fuckin' idiot," I mumbled to myself. I held the phone in my hand and waited for a reply.

* * *

Alex POV-

I left Mike at his room and walked into the lobby.

It was quiet, and I spotted a coffee pot on a far counter, so I helped myself to a cup. My fingers were stiff and very sore from where I had wedged a hand-hold in the ice. But I wasn't about to say anything about it.

I hadn't had the chance to clean off the blood yet, so it still looked pretty nasty. There was a bathroom in the lobby so I headed for it and thoroughly washed my hands. The nails on my right hand were all broken down to the quick, and the knuckles were bruised. Fresh blood oozed from the cuticles. I moved my fingers gingerly to make sure they were all still working properly, and they seemed to be.

As I walked back into the lobby, I got a text. I thought it was Bobby, but it wasn't. It was Mike.

He wants to know about romance? I smiled and typed a reply. He was such a nice guy. The man had almost died a few hours ago, but he never slowed down. I knew his chest had to be burning and his cough was relentless, but he never complained.

And obviously he was missing Carolyn as much as I was missing Bobby.

We texted back and forth for a minute, and then he sent me one saying he loved me. _What?_ And then I laughed out loud when I realized he had meant to send this last one to Carolyn.

Once I set him straight, I called Bobby. Finally. It felt like days since I had talked to him, and I would never admit it to anyone, but I'd actually listened to his voice mail message a few times just to hear his voice.

"Alex," he answered breathily on the first ring. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," I replied, surprised that I was getting choked up. "We…um…we found Mollie."

Of course I'd already sent him the text, but it seemed the natural thing to say.

"I know. She called. You're her hero. You're _my_ hero."

"I didn't do it alone," I reminded him.

"I know," he said quietly. "But Mollie told me there were bullets flying. And that your hand was bleeding…"

"She doesn't miss much, does she?"

"You promise you're okay?"

"Yeah. What about you?"

"I'm fine," he said, which was exactly what I had expected him to say. But then he elaborated. "Minor car accident, some fisticuffs…"

"Did you really say fisticuffs?" I asked. He chuckled.

"It's just…it was nothing. I'm…um…I just…my head is…I can't think straight without you," he finally said. _I knew the feeling_.

"You don't want to talk about the case?"

"No. Tomorrow, okay?" he said quietly. And then he lowered his voice even more. "Right now I want you to tell me what you're wearing."

Pain was forgotten as arousal coursed through me at his tone of voice. I knew that tone. It was usually accompanied by his hands stroking my skin, and preceded by him pushing into me with sweet urgency.

"I…um…" I stammered, torn by my desire for him and the reality of where I was at the moment.

"Alex," he said in a commanding voice.

I was done for. It suddenly didn't matter that I was standing in the lobby of this fleabag motel, with the clerk ten feet away from me filling out crossword puzzles behind the desk. In my mind, I was with Bobby.

I kept my back to the clerk and whispered into the phone.

"Black lacy bra," I replied quietly. I glanced around to see if I'd caught the clerk's attention, but I was still good. "With matching panties."

And of course, it was a lie.

In truth, I looked like death warmed over. I couldn't even remember what kind of underwear I was wearing, but I had on jeans that had gone stiff, a sweatshirt that was three sizes too big, not to mention that it belonged to another man, and my hair was plastered to my head since I'd only recently come in from the latest snow storm.

But none of that mattered. I heard him take in a breath and let it out slowly. I had him just as much as he had me.

"Where are you?" I asked him. "Are you in bed?" He let out a sigh and then a low chuckle.

"No. I'm…I'm at Carolyn's. I can't do this," he admitted reluctantly.

"I'm in a motel lobby," I laughed. "I can't really do this either."

"I can see you in my mind, though," he said, putting me instantly back in the mood. "I've spent so many years imagining you that it's like second nature to me. All I have to do is think of you, and you're right there in my head."

Romance. The man had it in spades.

"Alex! You got a signal in here?" It was Mike. I was melting into a puddle on the floor and I was with Logan. It just didn't seem fair.

I turned around and nodded at Mike. He looked marginally better than he had when I'd left him twenty minutes before, except now the scratch on his face where the bullet had grazed him was a dark angry line of dried blood across his cheek.

"Is that Logan?" Bobby asked.

"Yeah. The only place to get a good signal is in the lobby. I guess he's going to call Carolyn."

"You guys coming home tomorrow?"

"The first flight we can get. When I go back to the room, I'm going to plug into the dial-up and find us something."

"I miss you," he told me softly. I looked across the room at Mike. He was talking quietly into his phone, probably having a similar conversation to the one Bobby and I were having.

"I miss you, too," I replied. "So much more than I thought I would."

"Is that a good thing?"

"Not when I'm here and you're there," I said.

"But you'll be back tomorrow."

"Right. And then…"

"Voglio fare l'amore con te ora," he whispered fervently.

See? In _spades_. Because I didn't need to know Italian to know exactly what he was saying.

TBC...


	14. Chapter 14

**Alex POV**

* * *

After I finished my call with Bobby, I wandered over to the clerk's desk. Mike was still talking to Carolyn.

"What are my chances of finding an open liquor store nearby?" I asked him. He looked me over carefully, and I guess he decided that if anyone needed a drink, it was me.

"There's a twenty-four hour place about three miles from here. Take 71 south for a mile, then go west on Route 62."

"Thanks," I told him, surprised that there actually was a place. I'd had visions of knocking on doors in the motel until I found someone with a private stash.

I motioned to Mike that I would be back in a minute and then I drove to the liquor store. I didn't know what his drink of choice was because it seemed he changed with his mood. Beer some nights, scotch some, bourbon others.

I nixed the idea of beer. That was a social drink. It took longer to hit you and you had to drink larger quantities in order to feel the effects. After the day we'd had, I had a feeling the hard stuff was in order.

I grabbed a bottle of Jim Beam and then because I figured what the hell, I picked up a bottle of Jose Cuervo, too.

Fifteen minutes after leaving, I was back at the motel. Mike was standing outside in the snow.

"What are you doing out here?" I asked him.

"Where the hell did you go?" he countered. I held up my booty as I got out of the car.

"Oh, you didn't," he said with a grin. "Have I told you lately that I love you?"

"Yeah, you texted it to me half an hour ago," I teased.

"Bourbon _and_ tequila?" he questioned as he took the bottles from my hands. "Are we going to get sloshed?"

"We don't have to drink it all," I laughed. "I wasn't sure what you'd want."

"Anything to take the pain away, sweetheart," he said casually as I opened the door to my room.

I turned on the lights and waved in the direction of the lone chair in the room. Instead, Mike went into the bathroom and looked around.

"No cups," he commented.

"There were some in the lobby by the coffee pot," I told him.

"I'll be right back."

While he was gone, I turned on the laptop and plugged in the cord to hook the modem up to the phone line. I couldn't remember the last time I'd traveled somewhere that didn't have wi-fi, but I was grateful that I still kept a phone cord with me.

And then, because I felt a little weird about the fact that I was going to be sitting in my hotel room drinking liquor with Mike, I sent Bobby a text.

_Drinking with Mike in the motel room._

I almost clicked send, but then I added_: I love you_.

He replied: _Drinking with Carolyn at her house. How messed up is this? I love you, too._

I was sitting on the dresser next to the laptop and still trying to log on to the dial-up when Mike got back with two Styrofoam cups.

"Find us a flight yet?"

"Are you kidding me? I'm still trying to get on."

"Bourbon or tequila?"

"You pick."

"Tequila it is."

He handed me a cup full of the bronze liquid just as my internet connection was finally complete. I tossed back half of it and then set about making the flight plans.

"Everything okay with you and the big guy?" he asked me after he topped off my drink.

"Yeah," I said in surprise, turning around to look at him. "Why not?"

"Well, you talked to him and then you left to find a liquor store…I thought maybe something was up."

"No. It's good. It's just…"

"Sexually frustrating?" he supplied with a grin. I suppressed a smirk and turned back to the computer. I was going to have to draw the line at talking about _sex_ while drinking tequila with Mike in a motel room.

"Can we leave here by five-thirty tomorrow morning?" I asked him as the web page I was waiting for finally came up.

"Fine by me."

"We can catch the eight-fifty back to JFK."

"Book it," he agreed, filling my cup yet again.

I was feeling the burn in my belly and my head was starting to get a little swimmy. Food had been minimal throughout the day. I guess it was hitting Mike hard, too, because the next words out of his mouth caught me completely off guard.

"What is it that you see in Goren?" I looked up at him quickly, curious as to the context of the question.

Mike was leaning back in the chair with his legs stretched out in front of him. I watched as he downed another shot.

He didn't appear to be saying it in a derogatory manner, and really, it would have surprised me if he had. I knew he thought a lot of Bobby.

"Why do you ask?" I asked cautiously.

"I um…I…oh, man. I must be really tired," he said as he sat up and ran his hand over his face. "Never mind."

"No. You asked for a reason. What is it?"

"It's just that…I think we're a lot alike, me and him. I mean, not in some things, but in the way that…it's how we…"

And then I knew where he was going.

"You think you're both damaged," I stated. He looked at me and slowly nodded.

"We both had to overcome a lot. And it fucked us up in ways that even we don't always understand. But you love him anyway. You're able to see past his flaws."

"Yeah," I agreed quickly. "And he sees past mine. No one's perfect, Mike. And I don't know a lot about what you had to deal with growing up, but I do know that you're a good man now. And Carolyn knows that. Are you doubting that she loves you?"

"No," he sighed. "I want her to marry me. Is that crazy?"

"It's not crazy. You guys are already married," I commented.

"Really married. With a license and everything. And earlier I'd made up my mind to ask her, but then when I had her on the phone, I chickened out. She's too good for me. Why should she have to settle for someone like me?"

_Oh my God_. He and Bobby really were just alike.

"Mike," I began. "There are so many things wrong with that question that I don't even know where to begin."

I waited for him to look me in the eye and then I continued.

"It's not settling. You're a catch. She's just as lucky to have you as you are to have her. And besides that, I've never known Carolyn to do anything she didn't want to. If she wasn't happy with you, I'm sure you'd be the first to know."

"Wow, that sounds almost exactly like the pep talk I had to give Goren not too long ago," he replied with a grin.

"Well, listen to yourself then. But don't ask her on the phone," I continued. "Wait until we get back."

He nodded at me and poured us both another drink.

"You're buzzing," I told him as he handed me my cup.

"I'm past that. I think I'm full-on drunk."

"No," I said, unable to stop the laughter. "Your phone. You're buzzing."

* * *

Bobby POV-

After talking with Alex, I was missing her more than ever. I didn't want to go back to our apartment alone, so I was grateful when Carolyn suggested I sleep on the couch.

"At least that way, you won't be home if more cops show up at your door tonight," she teased. She had a point.

But neither of us were ready for sleep, so after our conversations with our significant others, we met back in the kitchen and worked on the bottle of scotch.

"I didn't expect to miss Mike this much," she admitted after nearly twenty minutes of silence and half a bottle of scotch. "It's always me that goes away, not him. I think it's harder to be the one left behind."

"Yeah," I agreed. "I always had a knack for leaving Alex behind. I could kick myself for that now. But I would follow leads, go off on my own, never giving a thought to how it made her feel."

"I think you've more than made up for that now."

"Maybe."

"Not maybe. She trusts you completely. You guys don't even think twice about keeping the other one up to speed. I bet you've already told her that we're sitting here drinking together."

"Well, yeah," I admitted, a little embarrassed that I was such an easy read. "I thought it might look bad…you know, me and you alone in your house…drinking."

"Well, they look worse," she said with a smile. "They're alone in a motel drinking."

"So Mike texted you, too," I concluded, smiling back at her. We were all pathetic.

"Yeah. I uh…" She paused and ran her hand through her hair. "I think that maybe...maybe I made a mistake."

"Another one?" I asked with a tease. "What's that lifetime tally now, two?"

"Ha! Hardly. Do I have to remind you about Jack Quarles? That counted for quite a few just in itself."

"Don't be so hard on yourself about him."

"He was married, Bobby. _Married_. And he turned out to be a criminal. Do I have to say more?"

I shrugged and refilled our glasses.

"And then today I completely underestimated you and Alex. And Mike, too. I can't believe I was so narrow-minded as to try to pigeonhole you guys like that."

"You're an organized mind," I told her. "It's perfectly normal to try to fit people into specific boxes."

"Yeah, but still…you don't do it."

"Well, I'm not such an organized mind," I replied with a grin.

I waited for her to say something, but she stayed quiet.

"So what mistake have you made now?" I asked her, trying to get our conversation back on track. However, the scotch combined with exhaustion and lack of sleep was making it difficult for me to even remember what the track was.

"Mike."

I looked at her in shock and my heart was in my throat. She'd made a mistake with Mike? He was like a brother to me. A real brother, like what I'd always wanted my brother to be. If she dropped him, he was going to be crushed. Not to mention the fact that I had developed quite a fondness for her, too. And things were never the same in friendships once a couple broke up. It just didn't work to be friends with both people. You had to pick.

"I…uh…I don't know why I'm telling you this," she said. "It's just that, well, I've been thinking about things, and I think that I was wrong."

"About Mike."

"About not wanting to marry him. I think I do. I mean, I know I do. But he's asked me once and I said no. I can't expect him to ask again."

"So you ask him," I replied, relief flooding through me with the realization that I had misread the situation. _Idiot_, I chastised myself.

"I thought about it. On the phone earlier. I was going to, but he seemed off. A little hesitant. I think there's something he's not telling me. And I hate talking on the phone because I can't see his expressions, and with cell reception sometimes I miss certain nuances of his speech patterns…"

"Carolyn, are you analyzing him or having a conversation with him? You're over-thinking it."

"So I should just…"

"Just ask him."

"I can't call him now. If they're in the room, they won't get a call."

"Send him a text."

"Ask him to marry me in a text message?"

"Why not?"

"I thought you were supposed to be so romantic," she chastised, shaking her head. But she pulled out her phone and held it in her hand.

"It's not about me. Is Mike a romantic?"

"No. Well, sometimes. He tries because he thinks I need it. But he's more of a cut-to-the-chase kind of guy."

"Then cut to the chase."

She stared at me a moment longer, tossed back the rest of her drink, and then typed a message.

TBC...


	15. Chapter 15

**Logan POV**

* * *

Alex drank me under the table.

After I got the text from Carolyn, the one where she in no uncertain terms said that she wanted to marry me, I felt like I could conquer the world.

Every thing on my body hurt, down to each little hair follicle, but with the knowledge that she wanted me, permanently, it all went away.

So then I challenged Alex to a game of celebratory quarters. I should've known better. She kicked my ass up one side and down the other.

And one minute, I was sitting on the end of the dresser getting ready to down the last of the bourbon – because yes, we had already killed the tequila – and the next minute, I heard a pounding on the door.

I was laying face first down on the bed, still fully dressed. I felt like I had a jackhammer in my head and cotton balls in my mouth.

"Come on, Mike!"

It was Alex, and a glance at the clock told me that it was five a.m. We had to leave in half an hour. That perked me up somewhat. Because that meant that this afternoon, I would be back with Carolyn. And she wanted to marry me.

"I'm up!" I shouted back.

"Then let me in!"

I looked around, somewhat confused, and then I realized the problem. I was still in her room. Apparently I had passed out, and she had gone to my room to get some sleep.

I pulled the door open.

"You look like shit," she said promptly. How was she so damn cheerful after three hours of sleep and a _lot_ of liquor?"

"Yeah, thanks," I mumbled as I headed out the door and back to my own room.

"Hurry up. I'm not missing that flight."

We didn't. We made it back to Minneapolis by six-forty-five. After clearing security and finding our gate, I tossed my bag onto a chair and then flopped down next to it.

"I'm going to get some coffee. And I'll call Bobby. We've still got a case to solve," she reminded me.

"It's that prick Moran," I called after her. She turned around and gave me a look before continuing on to Starbucks.

I think I dozed off while she was gone, because before I knew it, there was a fragrant cup of joe under my nose.

"Thanks," I told her, sitting up and taking the cup from her. "You don't have a hangover?"

"I do. I'm just not being a little girl about it," she replied with a grin. "If you can't run with the big dogs…"

"Yeah, yeah. I called Carolyn, but it went to voice mail. Did you get Goren?"

She nodded enthusiastically.

"You're not going to believe this. One of the dancers fingered Moran as being the last person seen with Ginger Barnes. In fact, she said that he'd been going to the club a lot just to see her. Bobby's got her recorded statement."

"You've got to be fuckin' kidding me. And then Woody said Moran stopped the investigation. Did Moran kill her?" I asked, sitting up even straighter in the hard plastic seat.

"I don't know. But I think at the very least, he knows who did kill her. Otherwise, why would he stop the investigation?"

"Unless he was afraid that if cops were looking into her life, his ties to her would come to light. What does Goren think?"

"They were just getting ready to head for the 6-9 to see if they can get their hands on that initial paperwork that Woody would have filed when he found Ginger's body."

"There's no way it still exists if there's a cover-up going on."

"Probably not. But it's a place to start. And they can talk to the captain there, too. Maybe he can fill in some blanks. At the very least, maybe they can find out where the body was originally found and then work from there."

"If anyone is willing to talk."

"Oh, and get this," she continued. "Stoat has a cell phone in prison. His girl calls him on it whenever. She called last night to tell him that Bobby was talking to another one of the dancers. Taggart's brother showed up at the strip club to rough the girl up."

"No shit," I replied thoughtfully. "Wasn't he from North Carolina?"

"Uh huh."

"They're running out of outside help," I concluded. "Did they catch him?"

"He and Stoat's girl are both cooling their heels at the 2-7. You trust Van Buren, right?"

"She's not dirty," I assured her. There weren't too many certainties in life, but that was one of them.

"Good. You know, we need to get Moran in an interrogation room."

"That's never gonna happen."

"We'll have to go over his head," she said, ignoring my pessimism. "We need his phone records, his financials…it's his turn to be under the microscope."

"And how do you plan on managing that?"

"I'm not sure yet. But we need to get the hell back to New York."

* * *

**Carolyn POV-----**

I got out of the shower and realized I'd missed a call from Mike. _Figures._ I listened to his message and found myself smiling. He was hung-over. And he said he'd call back before he got on the plane.

I got dressed quickly and went downstairs. Bobby was in the living room talking on the phone. He had his back to me, so I slipped past him and into the kitchen.

"We're going to the 6-9," Bobby was saying. "Somebody knows something. We just need to get them to talk…I will…I promise."

I started the coffee pot and thought about a good plan of attack for the day.

"Moran wasn't just boffing the dead girl," Bobby said as he came into the kitchen. "Woody found her body two weeks ago. When he opened a report, Moran shut it down."

"He squashed the investigation?" I asked. It was hard to swallow. Why would he get involved?

"That's what Woody said. It was his dying declaration to Logan."

"Moran was taking a big risk, not letting the investigation run its course," I murmured, my brain off and running on that tidbit. "If he didn't have anything to hide, why would he stick his neck out?

"He knows who killed her. He has to."

"But why frame you? And badly, really. I mean, it's been a bitch of a weekend, but it's not like you're going to see any jail time."

"To throw us off? We're all scrambling to clear my name and in the mean time, no one is solving Ginger's murder."

"But who even knew about it? If they found the body two weeks ago, and kept it under wraps, so to speak, then why bring it out now?"

"Someone else found out about it? Maybe someone is blackmailing Moran?"

"Again? Damn, that man just needs to walk the straight and narrow for once, then maybe he won't have to worry about being extorted all the time."

"Try this," Bobby said. "Moran is having an affair with Ginger. She ends up dead, either by his hand or by someone he knows, or maybe just by someone who would have outted the affair."

"Okay, I'm with you."

"So the body gets hidden in Brooklyn. Somehow Woody runs across it. He pulls an ID off of her, and traces her back to Testarossa's club. Maybe he showed her picture around to some of the girls. Maybe Candi hears about it."

"And reports back to Stoat. How does Moran find out?"

"Maybe Stoat knew about Ginger and Moran," Bobby suggested. I hadn't thought of that, but it made sense. "He could have if it started before he went to prison. Or if Candi happened to mention it during one of her visits."

"So Stoat is blackmailing Moran. From prison."

"Or Stoat is still reporting to Testarossa and he's the one blackmailing him. He's the one with all of the privileges."

"Well, it doesn't sound like Stoat has it too bad right now either. Cell phone, regular sex…"

"Okay, so maybe it's both of them. But then why bring me into it?"

Again, we were stuck on that. Except maybe we weren't.

"If Moran is in panic mode because of his sins, maybe he was looking for a fall guy. And come on, you're everybody's favorite."

"Just because he doesn't like me?"

"Testarossa doesn't like you. Stoat doesn't like you. Moran despises you."

"Gee, thanks," he said wryly.

"No, listen. Moran needs someone to go down for killing a stripper. He knew you worked the undercover at the club because he was involved in the setup. So it would be plausible that you knew Ginger."

"That makes sense."

"Okay, so after the body is found, even though Moran stops the investigation, Stoat finds out about it. He knows about Moran and Ginger so he uses that to squeeze Moran. Maybe to shorten his sentence or something. I don't know, but he uses it. He threatens to go public with Moran's affair."

"So I'm caught in the middle of a power play between those two," he said.

"And Testarossa. He's in this, too."

"This is all great speculation. But we have no proof. And Woody's dead."

"Woody and Taggart were partners," I reminded him. "How many secrets do you keep from your partner?"

"So you want to take a run at him?"

"I wonder how he'll feel now that his partner was killed during this whole debacle. We need to get Taggart to crack. If he'll admit that they found that body two weeks ago, and that Moran stuck his nose in it…"

"Then maybe we can get authorization to find out why."

"We're going to go to the commissioner?"

"I think we have to. But only after we have enough ammunition."

**

* * *

**

Bobby POV-------

I called Ross from the car. Carolyn was driving, since we were in her car. Mine was at home, and the department SUV was at the impound.

"The chief put a stop to the investigation?" he asked me dubiously.

"That's what Woody said."

"And of course, he wouldn't lie."

"It was a dying declaration. There would have been no point."

"Maybe not, but you're talking about the chief of detectives. We need to be sure."

"Pull the records," I challenged. "See if there was an investigation conducted. What Woody told Logan fits with what Rodgers found. She said the body looked to have been buried and then dug up. And she even said buried near the East River. Woody worked the 6-9, and said he found the body two weeks ago."

"So where has the body been all of this time?"

"I have no idea. Maybe they buried her back where they found her after Moran got involved."

"And then dug her up to frame you."

"It sounds crazy, I know. But if Stoat was pressuring Moran, then maybe Moran just decided to get the body out in the open. In exchange for privileges, he agreed to help them set me up. You know Stoat would love nothing more than for me to be in a prison cell next to him."

"That's all you've got? It's a lot of speculation."

"I know. But I don't have a better explanation right now. And you know Moran is gunning for me. All of this IAB mess is just more fuel for the fire. It's all designed to make me a plausible killer."

As the words left my mouth, I was filled with a sense of dread.

_A plausible killer_. That's what I was, wasn't I? Mark Ford Brady's son. If that didn't make me a plausible killer then I didn't know what would.

Did Moran know about that? He must not, or it would have come out by now. That would be the final nail in my coffin as far as the homicide investigation went.

I could see the headlines now…_Like father, like son – a family of killers_.

I felt like I was going to throw up as the panic washed over me. Ross was still talking, but I had no idea what he was saying anymore.

I needed Alex.

And then, in my head, I heard her voice:

_You've __technically__ been that man's son your whole life and you've never had homicidal tendencies. Why would that change just because you now __know__ he's your biological father? _

The fog cleared and I realized that my fantasy Alex was exactly right. Just like my real Alex usually was. I was not a killer, plausible or otherwise.

If Moran knew about Brady, he would've already exploited it. And while I didn't like the fact that Ross knew the truth, there was no evidence indicating that he'd told anyone.

"Moran is setting me up to save his own ass. And whether its just from another affair, or if its from something more sinister remains to be seen. But the fact of the matter is that he's hiding something. He's involved up to his ass. And we need to find out the truth."

"Okay, Detective. Talk to Taggart. Get him to back Woody's story. And then you and I will go talk to the chief."

TBC...

On Monday.


	16. Chapter 16

**Ross POV**

* * *

I had to admit to a building sense of dread. I couldn't feign ignorance anymore. This was going to be the time to put up or shut up, and quite frankly, I had shut up for long enough.

Eames – _Goren_ – had really thrown me last week when she'd said she was glad she didn't end up like me. What did that say about me? I was supposed to be a role model for my detectives. I was supposed to have high standards, high morals. Instead, I had accomplished just the opposite. And all because I'd stayed silent.

But not anymore.

When I met up with Detective Goren, I was going to tell him what I knew. I was going to tell him that Moran had a history with Testarossa. They had grown up in the same neighborhood. They had been friends.

And that I suspected Moran had been orchestrating things during that undercover. He hadn't gone so far as to tell Testarossa about it. At the time I think he was still trying to stay on the right side of the line. But he had given Goren limited back-up and practically non-existent resources. It was unheard of in an undercover such as that.

Goren had been absolutely right when he said Moran was hoping he would get killed. And he'd been hoping that Eames would be the one to do it. And I'd just blindly followed along and watched as the events unfolded.

In fact, I'd even given Eames the bread crumbs she'd needed so that she would end up being the one to arrest Goren. What kind of person did that make me? I'd known it was wrong, even then. But I wanted to keep my job. I wanted to make the boss happy, even when I knew he had ultimately slipped across the line.

Now I didn't know about this latest chain of events, but it smacked of impropriety as well. It was clear that Moran still wanted Goren's head on a stick, and it was equally clear that Goren had done nothing wrong. It was becoming a pattern, and one that I needed to put an end to.

A knock on my door interrupted my thoughts. It was Liz. Thank God. If it had been Moran, I'm not sure what I would've said to him.

"Come on in."

"I'm sorry to bother you at work, but this is important," she said. She was acting distant. As though she weren't my wife.

"What is it?"

"It's about Ginger Barnes." _Of course._

"Uh huh."

"I talked to the ME that was the first one to examine her. I wanted to know how he could've missed that dirt. And why he didn't differentiate that the prints were inverted."

"Sloppy work?"

"Too sloppy. We don't have ME's like that working for us."

"So what did he say?"

"He said that he was asked to push it through. The case was a slam dunk. They already knew who did it, so all they needed were the prints and the cause of death."

"So he knew the prints were inverted?"

"That's what he said. And he put it in his original report. And then they made him do a new one."

"Make a new medical report? That's a felony."

"That's what I'm saying."

"Who gave him the directive?" I asked, although I already knew and I didn't want her to say it out loud.

"I think you know."

"Liz."

"Chief Moran."

I sat back in my chair and sighed heavily. Now we had witness testimony which confirmed that the chief had gotten himself involved in this railroad attempt. He was tampering with a medical examiner's report. What else had he done?

"Is your doc willing to testify to that?"

"Yes. Danny, you have to put a stop to this," she said, her voice softening. "You can't let him keep doing this."

"I know. I will."

"Where is Detective Goren?"

"Which one?" I said wryly.

"Oh, so you're going to acknowledge that there are two of them?"

"Bobby is with Carolyn. They're going to the 6-9 to see if they can find out more information about where the body was found originally and then they're going to talk to Taggart and see if he'll fess up. Alex and Mike found the little girl and now they're on their way back from Minnesota."

"See, that didn't kill you," she told me with a smile.

"What?"

"You called them by name."

**

* * *

**

Bobby POV----

We got the runaround at the 6-9. Mostly.

Woody and Taggart covered their tracks well. At first glance, no one would ever know that a body had been found.

But we didn't just do a first glance. And we managed to find another officer who admitted to overhearing Woody and Taggart laughing about getting to go to a strip club so that they could confirm the identity of a body they'd found.

But that was all we had. It corroborated Woody's statement to the extent that he had in fact found the body two weeks ago. But that was about it.

"Let's go talk to Taggart," I told Carolyn as we left Brooklyn. She agreed, and we headed for the prison. Ross had apparently already called ahead to let them know that we'd be coming.

"How come you're still walking around a free man?" Taggart said when we entered the room. And then he looked at Carolyn. "And you brought the bitch with you. Great."

"Who told you to shut down the Barnes investigation," she asked him, ignoring his comment. "And just so you know, Woody's already talking to us."

"Woody wouldn't waste his breath on you two."

"It's over, Taggart. Haven't you wondered why Woody hasn't checked in with Stoat this morning? My niece is back with her family. Woody and O'Neil are busted," I said. I figured it might work better to start off by letting him think that Woody was in custody.

"Even if you picked them up, they're not going to talk."

"Why not? This isn't their fight. Which reminds me. We've got your brother in custody, too."

Taggart sat back in his chair and sighed heavily.

"How did you get yourself into this?" Carolyn asked him. "Did Stoat get you all fired up about Detective Goren?"

"I don't give two shits about Detective Goren," he fired back.

"Then why? Why would you guys help him? You were in some trouble before, but now...now you're royally fucked."

"You don't know what you're talking about," Taggart said derisively. He couldn't take his eyes off of Carolyn. His hatred of her was blatant.

"Then tell us," I said, starting to lose my patience. "We know you found Ginger Barnes' body. We know you went to Testarossa's club to confirm the ID and maybe find out a little bit about her. Am I on the right track so far?"

Taggart shrugged non-committally.

"I'll take that as a yes. Maybe you talked to Candi Ayers, right? She told you that Ginger was sleeping with the chief? Come on, Taggart, we're gonna figure it out. The more you tell us, the less time you'll get. And right now you're facing quite a stretch, so you need to start doing yourself some favors."

"We got orders to stop the investigation," he admitted begrudgingly. I nodded encouragingly.

"So you found her and you confirmed her identity. Why didn't you kick it to homicide?"

"We were going to."

"You wanted to go to the strip club first," I said.

He shrugged again.

"We thought we'd save them a little work. We went to just confirm that it was really her."

"But she had an ID on her."

"Yeah. We talked to the dancers and asked around about the last time she was seen."

"What did you find out?"

"One of them told us about the chief. She said that Ginger had left with him two weeks before and that was the last time she'd been seen."

"And then?"

"And then by the time we got back to the 6-9 to write up the report, we got called into the captain's office. He told us to let it go. I thought he just meant that we had to hurry up and give it to homicide, but he took our notes from us and said that it was over."

"Your captain," I stated.

"Yeah. He said he'd gotten a call from God."

"God?" Carolyn asked. "He didn't mention Moran by name?"

"No, but I knew that was who he meant. That's what he always calls him."

"Okay. So you put the girl's body back where you found it?"

"I don't know what they did with her body."

"Was there any evidence on the body when you found her the first time? Anything incriminating?"

"No. She had fingerprints on her neck. Somebody definitely strangled her with their bare hands."

"So what happened last week? Who filed the IAB report against Detective Goren?"

"Woody," he said. "The plan was to get you jammed up with the drugs and then when the murder charges came through, you'd look good for it. Nobody would work too hard to say otherwise."

"Why? Why did you want to set up Detective Goren?" Carolyn asked him again.

I watched Taggart closely as he battled with himself over whether or not to answer her question. He stood up and put his shackled hands down on the table, leaning across the surface in an attempt to be intimidating. He stared at her hard and got as close as he possibly could and I was ready to intervene if necessary, but she never flinched.

"Stoat told me," he said finally, his eyes never leaving Carolyn. "That if I helped him get Goren, then he'd help me get to you."

**

* * *

**

Logan POV-----

I slept on the plane. Alex told me it was my turn, and I wasn't about to argue. So I was feeling marginally better by the time we landed in New York.

"Give me the keys," Alex said as we hustled across the long-term parking lot. Of course, it was the furthest parking lot from the terminal, but when we'd left, we had no idea how long we would be gone.

"I'm driving," I told her.

"Don't be an ass. Give me the keys."

"It's my car," I argued, although I really didn't care. It just entertained me to argue with her.

"Mike, I swear to God…"

"Okay, okay. Sheesh. You know I'm in just as much of a hurry as you are, right?"

"Call Van Buren," she said as she climbed in the driver's side. "Find out what you can about Rice and Davis."

"You think they're dirty?"

"I don't know. No, I don't think so. But they picked up the Barnes case right after getting a third victim on their subway killer case. Doesn't that seem a little odd?"

"Yeah, okay. I'll find out."

I pulled out my phone and dialed the number for my former Lieutenant.

"Hey Loo, it's Mike Logan," I said when she answered.

"Mike! How've you been? It's been too long."

"Yeah, I know. And I hate to jump straight to business on you, but I wanted to ask about a couple of your detectives."

"Rice and Davis," she guessed. "Right?"

"Yeah, how'd you know?"

She sighed heavily.

"I think the shit is getting ready to hit the NYPD fan. How are you involved?"

"A friend of mine is getting framed. You know Detective Goren?"

"Major Case. Yeah. He was in here a couple of days ago being questioned about Ginger Barnes."

"Right."

"He also sent a couple of perps over here to keep in lock-up. I take it you vouched for me?"

"I did. He's trying to avoid 1PP right now."

"I can't say I blame him," she said. She paused a minute, and then lowered her voice. "Moran wants him."

"Why?"

"I don't know. But he handpicked Rice and Davis to work the case. I think he thought that they would be team players since they're both young and want to move up in the department. So he gave them the case and told them that Goren was the killer. He told them that they didn't need to keep looking, just arrest Goren and wrap it up."

"They came to you?"

"Yeah. They're good guys. They told me what the chief had said and asked what they should do. I told them to hold off on the arrest. They needed to investigate fully."

"If it comes down to it, will you testify to that?" I asked her. And that was the tough question.

If we went for Moran, and couldn't take him down, then she still had to work for the man and she'd be added to his list. That was why no one wanted to help.

"You know I will. I love my job, but I'm not going to sit back and watch while he tries to crucify an innocent man. And Detective Goren is innocent, right?"

"He is," I confirmed. "I'm just getting back from Minnesota. They kidnapped his niece."

"Goren's niece?"

"Yeah. They got IAB on him for drug charges, they mailed him a few pounds of coke, then the murder…"

"Moran wouldn't resort to kidnapping. I can see him trying to steamroll someone, but…"

"I'm just telling you what happened, Loo. We found the girl with an officer from the 6-9 and a former property clerk. They had kidnapped her and were holding her in a motel. I don't know what the next step was, but they're dead now."

"Where are you?"

"Me and Goren's partner are driving back from JFK."

"Well get your ass over here. Detective Goren is knocking on my office door."

I hung up with Van Buren and looked at Alex. She had a lead foot and we were already halfway to the 2-7.

"How'd you know?" I asked her, since we'd originally planned on going to 1PP.

"Bobby sent me a text. Ross is having Moran meet him at the 2-7. Something about neutral territory, I guess."

"Why would Moran come?"

"Ross told him that Davis and Rice had arrested Bobby. He's coming to watch the interrogation."

TBC...


	17. Chapter 17

**Bobby POV**

* * *

I was a little nervous and that wasn't like me.

Interrogations were my thing. It was what I was good at.

So the only explanation that I had for my nerves was that Alex wasn't beside me. That, and the fact that this one had so much riding on it. I was probably only going to get this one shot at Moran. We were catching him by surprise here. If he got away from me now, he'd start cleaning house.

But now all of the pieces were in place. The plan was set in motion. And I hoped like hell it worked.

And I had to trust Carolyn. She was going to fill Alex in as to what was going on when she arrived. I wanted to do it myself, but my time had run out. Ross sent me a text to let me know that he and Moran were on their way into the building.

I sat in the interrogation room facing the window. Rice and Davis sat across from me. I heard a subtle thump from the observation room.

It was game on.

"So, Detective Goren," Rice began. "You're here today to give your confession for the murder of Ginger Barnes. Is that correct?"

"Yes."

"And you understand your rights as they've been told to you, and you've waived your right to an attorney," he stated.

"Yes."

"Okay then. Tell us what happened the night you killed Ginger Barnes."

"I went to the club. She was working. I waited for her to finish, and then I told her I wanted to talk to her in private."

"What did you want to talk to her about?"

"She was seeing someone else. I wanted her to stop."

"But weren't you also seeing someone else?"

"Yes."

I stared intently at the table, schooling my features to keep from showing how difficult it was for me to say the words. I didn't know if Alex was watching yet or not.

"So you were cheating on your girl, and Ginger was cheating on you. Sounds okay to me."

"It wasn't okay," I said, raising my voice. "It _wasn't_ okay."

"Why not?" Davis asked, his tone matching mine.

"It wasn't okay because I knew who the other guy was."

"So?" Rice asked after a brief pause. I could hear a door slam and footsteps.

"So I wasn't willing to share her. Not with him. Not with…"

"Stop that recording right now!" Moran shouted, bursting into the room.

"Chief?" Rice questioned as he stood up and looked at Moran. "We're doing what you asked. We've got a confession."

"You heard me. That's enough. Ross, turn off that intercom. Detectives, leave me and Goren alone for a minute."

"Chief Moran, my detectives are trying to do their job," Van Buren interrupted.

"I am in charge here!" he yelled. And he'd completely lost it. He knew what I'd been about to say. "Detectives, get the hell out of here."

Rice picked up his tape recorder and then he and Davis left the room. Van Buren glared at Moran for an extra minute before reluctantly leaving the room as well.

"Ross! Turn that damn thing off!"

After a second, there was a tapping on the window. That was Ross' signal to Moran that the intercom was off.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Moran asked me.

"I was confessing. You should be happy."

"Why would I be happy about that?"

"That's what you've been after all this time, isn't it? That's what all of this has been about."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Come on, Chief. You told the detectives that you already knew who the killer was. You told the ME to fast track the body and when he was too thorough, you made him write a new report. You wanted this to come back on me."

"You were getting ready to tell them…"

"Tell them what?" I asked. "Tell them about Ginger's other lover?"

"She only had one lover," he stated.

I had bet on the fact that a pompous man like Moran wouldn't be able to stomach the idea that his mistress had been cheating on him, especially with me. And it looked like I'd been right.

"And how would you know? Did you know her?"

"I…uh…there was a statement…"

"No. There was no statement. You say Ginger only had one lover," I said. "You?"

Moran faltered for a minute, but he apparently trusted that his faithful follower Ross was still looking out for him.

"That's right. Me."

"But you don't really know if she was sleeping with anyone else or not, do you?" I asked him and then I gave him a wink. "Why do you think Stoat suggested setting _me_ up? I'd been hooking up with Ginger for more than a year. Stoat knew I'd look good for this."

"That's a lie."

"Which part? That I was sleeping with her, or that Stoat wanted you to set me up?"

Moran was quiet for a minute and I could practically see the wheels turning in his head.

"Okay. So you're right. I wasn't sleeping with her. You were," I said, standing up and starting to pace around the room. "And you were the last one to see her. What happened, did she want you to leave your wife? Was she pressuring you?"

"What? I…no!" Moran argued. And as he looked around the room, he finally started to look apprehensive. He was starting to realize what was happening here.

"So you left the club with her. And you went…where?"

"Detective, you're out of line! This isn't about me, it's about you. You killed her."

"Okay. Right. I killed her. And I buried her in Brooklyn. So how did she end up in a warehouse in Manhattan? Was that Stoat's idea? Or Testarossa? I noticed you didn't deny knowing Stoat when I mentioned him. How did he get involved with this anyway?"

"Of course I know Stoat. He was a dirty cop, just like you. Only he got what he deserved. You still walk around 1PP like you know more than any other cop in the place."

"Is that why you don't like me? Because I'm smart?"

"He doesn't like you because you're ethical."

It was Alex.

She walked into the interrogation room like she owned it.

My heart swelled with emotions too great to quantify. She sent me a look from across the room that would've melted the polar ice caps, but then she was once again all business.

"You're ethical and he's not. It's that simple, isn't it?" she asked Moran. "Well, that, and he screwed your buddy over. You probably hate me for that, too though, don't you?"

I gave Alex a look, not completely sure what she was talking about. But if she wanted to join this show then I was all for it. I was just going to lean back against the wall and watch her work.

"Detective Eames, I have no idea what you're talking about."

"It's Detective _Goren_. And I'm talking about Testarossa. You sent Goren in there as an undercover, thinking he'd get himself killed. And when he didn't, you had Ross feed me enough clues so that I would bust him. You hoped I would kill him. But that didn't happen either. And instead your childhood friend got sent to prison. What I can't figure out is that if you wanted Goren dead, why didn't you just tell Testarossa he was a cop?"

"I…I didn't…"

"He didn't want to get his hands that dirty," Ross supplied, joining the party. "He set everything in motion and hoped for the best, but he kept himself clean in case things went bad."

"But something went bad this time, didn't it?" I asked, jumping back into the conversation. I was only a little surprised to learn about Moran's role in the initial undercover investigation. I had always suspected although I'd never had proof.

"This time, things got out of control, didn't they?" Alex asked him. "You killed Ginger Barnes. Maybe it was an accident, but you killed her. And you buried her. And then two beat cops from the 6-9 found her."

"And that's when Stoat found out and he figured out what you'd done. He used your ties to Ginger to blackmail you. He's the one that wanted revenge on me, and you were more than happy to let him get it."

"That is all completely ridiculous. You have no proof of any of this."

Alex leaned over next to him and delivered the fatal blow.

"Sure we do. Dr. Rodgers re-examined the body. She was able to pull prints off Ginger's neck from the strangulation marks. Bet you didn't know that the subcutaneous layers of skin maintain impressions damn near forever."

"That's impossible! There's no way! I had on…"

"Gloves?" I asked. "You had on gloves when you strangled her?"

Moran was shocked into silence, realizing his mistake. It was over.

"You didn't count on anyone standing up for me, did you?" I asked him quietly. "My partner, my captain, my friends…but they all did. And now it's over."

Moran put his head in his hands and was still quiet.

"Just say it," Alex encouraged. "You'll feel better."

"It was an accident," he admitted, his voice barely more than a whisper. "It was an accident, I swear."

I looked back to the window and waved in Detectives Rice and Davis, who had of course been watching and listening the entire time, along with Lt. Van Buren.

"Your ME was able to get prints off the decomped corpse?" Rice asked Alex as he put the handcuffs on Moran.

"Oh, that. No, no way. She was too far gone."

"You lied?" Moran shouted. "You can't lie!"

"We're detectives," I told him. "We're allowed to lie to criminals."

I took the digital recorder out of my jacket pocket and handed it to Van Buren.

"I think we've got everything we need," I told her. "This, combined with witness statements and the cell phone records from Stoat's contraband phone…"

"I'll add my statement to the mix," she told me. "So will Davis and Rice."

"And so will I," Ross said.

"Thanks for your help," I told Van Buren, shaking her hand. I shook Ross' too, and then Alex and I left them in the interrogation room to sort out the whole mess. I was done with it.

"Nice work, Detective," Mike told me when we got out into the hall. He and Carolyn had been watching, too. "Both of you."

"That was pretty smart to lie about the prints. He was right on the verge and that just put him over the edge," Carolyn said.

"Thanks," Alex said with a smile. And then she met my eye again. It felt like it had been weeks since I'd seen her, even though in reality it had been less than two days.

"Carolyn told you…" I didn't want her thinking about the comments I'd told Moran regarding Ginger.

"Yeah. And I would've known even if she hadn't. It was a good tact to take with an arrogant jerk like him."

"I…um…" I started, and then looked around the room. We were in the squad room at the 2-7 with no privacy to be found anywhere. "Alex, I…"

"Come here," she said, turning to walk down the hall. "We'll be right back!" she called over her shoulder to Mike and Carolyn. I didn't know where she was going, but I followed. As I've said, I would follow her absolutely anywhere.

She opened a door at the end of the hall that led to the stairwell. Once the door had closed behind us, she pulled me into a tight hug.

"It's not very private, but it'll have to do for now. I just needed to hold you for a minute," she whispered.

"You're not going to hear any arguments from me."

"You just took down the chief," she murmured, not moving from her position. I stroked my hands up and down her back and breathed in her scent.

"So did you. We did it together."

"That's a hell of a send-off," she chuckled. "It's better than a fake gold watch."

"And Ross even helped. Are you sure we're not dreaming?"

"The same dream? I don't know. We're good, but are we that good?" she teased.

"We're that good," I confirmed. I stepped back from her and took her hand in mine. She winced slightly and I looked down, remembering what Mollie had said about Alex's hand bleeding.

"What the hell did you do to yourself?" I asked her gently. I kissed each of the bruised knuckles and bloody nail beds.

"I…um…it's a long story. How about we get Mike and Carolyn and go to McNally's? We can fill each other in on _everything_," she said pointedly, running her other hand over my bruised face.

"It's been thirty-six hours. It may take a while," I said with a smile.

"As long as I'm with you, I really don't care."

TBC...


	18. Chapter 18

**Logan POV**

* * *

And to think we almost missed it.

I'll be honest. If I hadn't let Alex drive us from JFK to the 2-7, we probably would have missed it. Because nobody drives quite like she does.

As it was, we got there in time for Goren's confession.

When I saw Carolyn, I wanted to drag her down the hall and into the nearest supply closet. But we were in an observation room. With Van Buren, Rice, Davis and Ross.

And Moran, the prick. His face was like a bucket of cold water to my libido.

So instead, Carolyn subtly pulled us aside and quickly filled us in on Goren's plan. About that time, Moran went racing from the room. We watched for another moment, and then Alex left to join Goren. And I didn't blame her.

Because the interrogation room was their thing. They worked it like a dance…like a well-choreographed musical…like a…well, let's just say they worked it.

They knew each other's every gesture and nuance. It was a rare perp that could hold out against the two of them. And Moran was no different.

When Alex mentioned getting fingerprints from the subcutaneous layers of skin…it was a thing of beauty. She's pretty damn smart, and I think hanging out with Goren so much, that sometimes she forgets that. I have to admit that I've let it slip my mind a time or two as well.

But after she figured out how to drag a soaking wet man that weighs at least twice as much as her out of a hole in the frozen tundra of Minnesota…well, I won't be forgetting again. She's a freakin' genius.

And while it might sound like I have a little bit of a crush on her, that's just not true. I just want to _be_ her. She is a total bad ass. Of course, so is Carolyn. I won't forget that either. I'm in awe of both of them.

"You're staring at her," Carolyn whispered in my ear. We were watching the scene unfold in the interrogation room. Goren was talking, but I was still watching Alex.

"I know. I'm sorry. I'll explain it," I replied. I was just replaying how I'd come to out on that ice. Alex had pulled me a good ten feet from the hole, she was soaking wet, bloody and covered with snow, and she had breathed life back into me. It was a hard thing to get out of your head.

"Am I going to like it?"

"No. But not for the reasons you think," I told her, catching her gaze.

She was calm, as always, but there was concern in her eyes as well. And I didn't think for a second that she was jealous of Alex. She knew something was up. She ran a finger over the cut on my cheek and gave me a nod. Yeah, she knew something had happened in Minnesota.

_"We're detectives. We're allowed to lie to criminals," _Goren was saying as he headed for the door_._

"Come on," Carolyn told me. "Looks like they're wrapping it up, and I'm ready to get out of here."

We met the Gorens out in the hall, but then they disappeared on us for a minute. I had a pretty good idea of where they went. Or rather, _why_ they went.

But I was in the 2-7, where I used to work, so I was going to try to have some decorum.

"So, did she shove you out of the way of a bullet, or…"

"What?"

"Alex. She saved your life."

"What did she say?" I asked as a reflex, and I knew as soon as the words were out of my mouth that Carolyn had done that on purpose.

"I told you I would give you details," I said, mock-glaring at her smug expression. I should've known that she would figure it out before I could tell her. She'd probably picked up on something just from my tone of voice last night on the phone.

"I just wanted to make sure. I figured it was either that, or that you'd slept with her, and I don't see her cheating on Bobby."

"Oh, but you see me cheating on you?"

"You're a dog, Mike," she replied casually with a shrug. "I've known that from day one."

_What?_ Suddenly I didn't care if we were in the squad room. We didn't work here. I pulled her into my arms and planted a kiss on her that had her moaning within seconds. When I finally pulled away, she held on to my arms, a little unsteady, and I couldn't stop the self-satisfied grin.

"I don't cheat," I said pointedly. "I might have played the field at one time, but I was always honest with all of them. And I'm done with that. You asked me to marry you, remember?"

"Well, technically you asked me," she said with a quirk of her eyebrow and a tilt of her head. She was playing me.

"Yeah, and you said no. So now you asked me," I replied, growing more confused as I watched the smile spread across her face. "And you know damn well I would never cheat on you. What was all that about?"

"I just missed you," she said. "And you were going to play the tough guy in your old house, acting like you didn't miss me, too."

"Oh, I missed you," I said, pulling her into my arms again. "In fact…" I threatened, backing her into a desk. I leaned down and growled into her ear. "I just might throw you across this desk right now. Would that do it for you?"

She laughed and shoved me away.

"I don't want to get arrested for public lewdness," she said, her hand still on my chest. "Then we might end up in a holding cell with Moran."

"If you're trying to talk me out of it, that's not going to do it," I replied. Because the idea of being able to confront Moran in a holding cell was quite appealing.

"You guys ready?" Alex said as she and Goren returned from down the hall.

"Where are we going? 1PP?"

"Yeah, can you drop us there? We need to pick up an SUV. We're going to go talk to Stoat, but then we thought maybe we could meet up with you guys at McNally's in a couple of hours."

* * *

Alex POV-

"Should I ask what happened to the SUV that we had when I left town?" I asked Bobby as we signed for another department issue vehicle.

"Probably not," he replied with a grin.

"Was that the minor accident?"

"Taggart's brother," he said with a nod. "Candi called him to tell him that Amber was talking to us, so he came out to the strip club. He saw us leaving, I guess. Rammed us at an intersection. I'm not sure what the point of it was. He didn't really hit us hard enough to have done any major damage. I guess he just wanted to slow us down."

"Well, he doesn't know you very well, does he? I bet all it did was piss you off."

"That, and ruined a good suit," he said, gesturing at his clothing. And he was right.

"Fire hydrant?" I asked.

"Uh huh."

"Wasn't that yesterday? Should I ask why you're in the same clothes?"

"I stayed at Carolyn's last night. On the couch," he added quickly.

"On the couch? Why not in one of her guest rooms?"

"I just thought…well…um…"

"You thought it would look better if you were on a completely different floor?"

He just shrugged and got into the elevator. As soon as the doors closed, I stepped up close to him.

"I trust you," I told him as I held his face in my hands. "Completely, without a doubt. You didn't have to sleep on a couch. And you didn't have to text me to tell me you were going to a strip club."

"I'm just playing it safe," he replied. "I don't want to screw this up."

I reached up to kiss him, and was unprepared for the flood of emotions that ran through me.

"God, I missed you," I whispered against his lips.

The elevator came to a stop, and I reluctantly backed away from him just as the doors opened.

"You know, we've got some time," Bobby said as he followed me into the parking garage. "I think I remember there being a private area off-camera…"

"Uh uh. Are you crazy? It's the middle of the afternoon!"

"So that's a no?" he asked innocently. But as he asked he slid his hand under the hem of my sweater, letting the heat from his skin soak into the small of my back. He wasn't playing fair.

"Bobby," I warned.

We were standing right there in the middle of the garage. Security cameras were everywhere.

"The cameras," I argued, although I was losing momentum.

He moved his hand around to my stomach, still underneath the fabric. He pulled me back up against him so that I could feel how serious he was about his proposal.

"We're in a blind spot here," he told me.

"You've spent time researching the blind spots in the parking garage?"

"I wanted to know exactly where I could ravish you," he replied. Yeah, I was definitely fighting a losing battle with my hormones.

"I missed you," he rasped into my ear. "I won't be able to think straight until I have you again."

"We're in plain sight of anyone coming in the garage," I said weakly.

"Let's go to the car."

So we found the SUV.

"Move it to that spot over there," Bobby directed quietly. It was a place along the outside wall, so taking into account the rear tinted windows, if I pulled into the parking spot, it was possible that we could get away with this crazy, reckless thing that we were about to do.

I started the engine and re-parked the SUV.

And then I couldn't stop myself. I was across the console and in his lap in no time. I kissed him enthusiastically, thinking about all that had happened since the last time we'd been like this. Thinking about how much I'd missed him.

"You know, we had our first kiss in a department SUV," he reminded me when I pulled back for a moment. "It's only fitting that we properly christen one of these vehicles before we leave the department."

I couldn't stop the giggle. How did the man always make me laugh?

"I'm not sure that Ross would consider this a christening," I told him.

"Alex," he chastised. "That name…never, ever say that name while you're unzipping my pants."

But he stopped talking and let out a low groan as my hand finally reached its destination.

"We have to hurry," I told him as he tugged my jeans down off my hips. It wasn't easy in the confined space, but I was in desperation mode. I felt like if I couldn't get him inside of me in the next few seconds, I was going to explode. Or implode. Or something else equally not good.

"I know that's not part of your repertoire," I continued as I climbed back onto his lap and blissfully slid down onto him. I lost my train of thought for a moment, but then I got back to it. "But really…this time we have to hurry."

"I know. I don't think that'll be a problem," he said. And there was that tone of voice. The one from last night, on the phone. He kept up a low murmur of words of love while his hands alternately stroked up my back and then gripped my hips.

I was such a maelstrom of feelings, inside and out. It was an exhilarating and emotional experience. Not to mention the sheer thrill at the taboo thought of _where we were_.

"I can't believe we're doing this," I whispered.

"I know. It feels like it's been forever."

"I don't mean that. I mean we're in the parking garage."

"I have some fond memories in this parking garage," he replied quickly, his hands gripping me even tighter, spurring on our motions.

"Are we being unprofessional?" I asked, although it was a little late for that thought to be crossing my mind. And it was a ridiculous question, really. We were having sex in a department vehicle in the garage at 1PP. It didn't get much more unprofessional than that.

"The way I see it," Bobby began. "Is that the department has interrupted us often enough. If work is going to bleed over into personal time sometimes, then it's only fair that once in a while it works the other way around."

It was a sound argument. And Bobby's mind was thinking way too clearly if he was able to come up with that. I needed to step up my game.

"Hey, we're being quick here, right?" I reminded him, leaning in to work my mouth over his neck and ears, while at the same time shifting the angle of things.

"You're the one talking about…um…about…the uh…"

And now I had him. He was back to being speechless. But so was I.

I was so close…so close…and then I panicked. What if Ross came back? What if someone saw the truck rocking, or noticed the fogged-up windows? What if someone knocked on the window?

But then I thought…did I care? I mean, what was the worst that could happen? We could get fired?

I forced the random thoughts from my head and instead focused on Bobby.

I was an expert in the facial expressions of Bobby Goren while making love, and it only took a glance for me to know that he was holding back, waiting on me.

"Don't wait," I told him.

"We're partners," he ground out. "We do this together or not at all."

I know I've said it before, but...he is just the best damn partner ever.

TBC...


	19. Chapter 19

**Logan POV**

* * *

We dropped Alex and Goren off at 1PP and then headed for home. We had left one of our vehicles at the 2-7 because quite frankly, I didn't want to be separated from Carolyn right now. I'd been missing her for too long, and something was up.

"What's going on?" I asked her as soon as I was back on the road.

"What do you mean?"

"Back at the 2-7. I know you were teasing, but for some reason, it felt a little like…I don't know. Like maybe for a second you thought there could be something going on between me and Alex."

After the words were out of my mouth, I wished I had waited. Waited until I wasn't driving so that I could see her face.

But as it was, I did the next best thing.

"No, wait a minute," I told her. And then I pulled over into the first public parking garage I found, drove to an empty area in the back of the lot, and put the car in park. I unbuckled my seat belt and turned towards her.

"Okay. Now. Talk to me."

"Mike," she said on a sigh, leaning her head back against the seat.

And that was her tell. She didn't want to make eye contact. Something _was_ wrong.

"You know…you _know_ there's nothing to that," I insisted. Fear began working its way through me, and out of desperate need for contact, I reached out and grabbed her hand. I relaxed slightly when she willingly worked her fingers through mine.

"I know. I'm being stupid," she said at last, still not looking at me.

"You're killing me here," I told her. "Please talk to me."

And finally, _finally_ she turned and met my eyes. I was struck silent by the sight of her eyes glistening with tears. Carolyn does not cry.

"It's just that…I just…wow. I'm a little fucked up here," she admitted. She used her free hand to swipe at her eyes and I just couldn't stand it anymore.

I got out of the car. She took my cue and got out, too, and I met her at the front of the SUV. I put my hands on her waist and picked her up, setting her on the hood and then I moved in close to stand between her knees and I wrapped my arms around her. She buried her head against my chest and held on tight.

So I waited. I would stand there all night if that was what she needed. But it only took her a few minutes.

"I don't know where to start," she admitted when she shifted positions. She kept her arms around my neck and pressed her cheek into my neck. And then as though she'd been storing it all up, the words just came pouring out.

"I guess I was a little jealous. Not that I thought something had happened between you two. I don't think that. Because I do trust you. Really. And I shouldn't have said you were a dog because you've never been like that with me."

"It's okay," I encouraged.

"No it's not. It's not okay. But as much as I trust you, when I realized that she had saved your life, then I knew it would make you look at her differently. I mean, it has to. And I have to wonder if you don't wish things were…I don't know…different."

"You think I wish I were with her instead of you?"

She didn't reply, but simply held me tighter. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. And I flashed onto that moment in the motel parking lot where I'd had a similar thought. But it _wasn't_ that thought. It was just the idea that if I _weren't_ with Carolyn and she _weren't_ with Bobby...and that _wasn't_ the same thing.

_Mike, do not fuck this up_.

"Carolyn, I think the world of Alex. And I am so glad that we've become friends with her and Bobby. But I'm not in love with her. I don't wish that I could be with her. You're the only one I want to be with. You're the one I want to spend my life with."

"Are you sure?" she asked, pulling back to look me in the eyes.

I was completely caught off guard by her uncharacteristic insecurities, but at the same time, I was glad that she wasn't trying to hide them from me.

"Let me tell you what happened," I said.

And then I told her. About falling through the ice and how Alex had gotten me out and given me CPR. It was something I should have told her right after it happened, because my silence had just been a breeding ground for anxiety.

"And when I got back to the hotel, all I could think about was you. How much I wanted to be married to you for real. I had made up my mind to keep asking you until you got tired of saying no."

"But you didn't."

"I wussed out. When I heard your voice, I realized that without you I would be lost. And I couldn't take the chance. If I asked you again, then you might start thinking about spending your life with me, and then you might realize that I'm not nearly good enough for you," I told her as I put my hand on her cheek. I caressed her jaw line with my thumb and added, "I'll never be good enough for you."

"We're both pretty fucked up, huh?" she asked, giving me a beautiful smile.

"We're perfect for each other," I said. I leaned in and kissed her softly, wanting to take my time showing her exactly how I felt. She returned it eagerly and hooked her feet around the backs of my legs, pulling me in closer to her. I moved my lips from her mouth around to her throat and shoved my fingers into her hair.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly.

"Why are you sorry?" I whispered against her neck.

"I shouldn't have doubted your feelings."

"And I shouldn't have waited to tell you about what happened. We're even."

"Can we go home now?" she asked on a sigh.

"I don't want to. Can't we just do this here?"

She let out a throaty laugh and let her head fall back, clearly enjoying the attention I was giving to her throat.

"It won't take much to convince me," she admitted. "And Mike…"

"Yeah?" I asked. When she didn't respond, I brought my eyes up to meet hers again.

"You have to stop thinking that you're not good enough. You're exactly what I want. Exactly what I need. And I won't have you talking bad about the man I love, okay?"

I sure as hell wasn't going to try to change her mind.

Instead, I picked her up off the hood of the SUV and carried her around to the back door.

"When was the last time you made love in an SUV?" I asked her as I opened the door and set her on the seat.

"Um…I never have," she admitted.

"Well, that is a travesty," I said as I climbed in the back with her. "We need to remedy that."

"What about you?" she asked, a wide smile breaking across her face.

"The last time? Ask me again in twenty minutes and I'll tell you all about it," I teased, working quickly to rid her off her slacks.

"Twenty minutes? That's all?" she asked as she undid my belt.

"It has been almost two days," I reminded her. "Besides, we have somewhere we need to go after this."

"Where?" she asked.

"It's a secret."

* * *

**Bobby POV---**

After our stolen moments in the SUV, we drove out to see Stoat. And I had to admit that I was feeling pretty damn good.

I had my Alex back.

We had proof against Moran that would take him down.

And Stoat's attempt to get revenge on me had backfired. Now he was going to be spending additional time in prison.

Life was good.

"Hey there, Mike," I said as I walked into the conference room with Alex following close behind.

"Bobby Goren," he stated through gritted teeth. "And the little woman."

"We just wanted to deliver the good news first hand," Alex said, ignoring his dig.

"What news is that?"

"That your phone is being confiscated as we speak. Your cell is being tossed. And the guy you're blackmailing is being processed for arrest," I told him. And I had to smile.

"Oh, and his niece is back home safe and sound," Alex added.

"You have a niece?" he asked me innocently.

"Notice he didn't deny the blackmailing," Alex said to me conversationally.

"Yeah, I picked up on that. Do you know how much blackmailing the chief of detectives can add to your sentence?" I asked him. "Not to mention all of the accessory and conspiracy charges…let's see, we've got kidnapping, interstate drug trafficking, assault, attempted murder…"

"I don't think you'll see the light of day for at least another twenty years," Alex told him. "And you can forget about your privileges. No more phone calls, no more conjugal visits…"

"Although I'm sure your new cellmate will work out some kind of arrangements for sex."

"Man, it really sucks to be you," Alex said with a grin. She was clearly enjoying this as much as I was.

And we had earned this moment of gloating after what he'd put us through over the past several days.

"So the only other question I have for you is this. We know Taggart's role in this. But was the rest of it all you, or are you still working for Testarossa?"

"Fuck you. This isn't over, Goren."

"It is over. Moran confessed. It's done. You don't have anyone watching your back anymore."

"I wonder how you'll do when you don't have anyone watching yours," he said smartly, his eyes raking over Alex from head to toe.

And I lost it. I lunged across the table and grabbed him up by the throat, pinning him against the stone wall.

"Was that a threat? Did you just threaten a police officer? Because I'll get them to add on another five years just for that," I growled. "I'll get you on twenty-four seven lock-down. You'll never get another visitor, or another piece of mail…"

"You gonna kill me, Bobby?" he rasped out.

"Bobby, let him go," Alex said softly. She was directly behind me, and I felt her hand on my back. I gradually released the pressure I'd been putting on his neck, and then I took a step back.

"Shit, Bobby. You didn't have to get all upset. I didn't mean anything by it," Stoat said with a grin. _Fucking bastard_.

"Watch yourself in there, Stoat," I told him, and then I stepped back to let Alex lead the way out the door.

"You better watch yourself _out there_, Detective Goren," he called out just before the door slammed closed.

We collected our guns at the security desk and went back to the SUV in silence. I couldn't stop thinking about Stoat. He was really going to threaten Alex? He hated me that much, to go through everything he had gone through just to try to get revenge, and he still wasn't going to quit? I was going to have to start keeping a closer eye on him.

"It was just talk," Alex said quietly as she started the engine. She turned to look at me, and my fear hit me like a punch in the gut. The mere thought of ever living without her…

"Bobby," she said. "He just wanted to get you riled up. And it worked."

"He made a point of saying Detective Goren with that last threat. He usually calls me Bobby or just Goren. He meant you. _You_ need to watch yourself."

"He's in there. We're out here."

"Look how well that worked this time around."

"And now he's busted. He doesn't have Moran greasing the wheels for him anymore. He's not going to get to me."

She put her hand on my face and turned me so that I was looking at her again.

"Take a breath," she said softly. And so I did. I closed my eyes and leaned into her palm, simply enjoying the feel of her touch.

"I let him get to me," I admitted, although that fact was obvious. "But there is something."

"What's that?"

"We need to move, okay? We'll find us a new place. One that hasn't been ransacked by Stoat's flunkies. Okay? A place that we pick out together."

"I like that idea," she agreed.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," she said. "Ready to go meet Mike and Carolyn?"

I checked my watch. We were going to be late. Of course, the extra half-hour in the parking garage was well worth it. Thinking about that again brought my blood pressure down a little.

"Sure, let's go."

TBC...


	20. Chapter 20

**Alex POV**

* * *

I pretended that I wasn't a little shaken by Stoat's threat. Bobby was upset enough for both of us.

But by the time we got to McNally's, he had calmed down somewhat. I was just ready to sit back and relax for a little while. It had been a ridiculously long few days.

Not to mention the fact that I had awakened this morning in Minnesota after three hours of sleep and quite a bit of alcohol.

Mike and Carolyn were already there when we arrived and I was happy to see that they appeared to be past whatever issue was bothering them. They'd seemed a little off during the ride from the 2-7 to 1PP.

"It's about damn time," Mike groused as we sat down. But he said it with a grin on his face.

"You don't even have drinks yet. You couldn't have been here more than a minute," Bobby countered. But he was smiling too as he slid into the booth and then held out his hand to me.

"Actually, I need to hit the little girls' room," Carolyn said, standing up. "Alex?"

"What is it with girls having to travel in pairs to the bathroom?" Mike asked Bobby dramatically as I turned to leave with Carolyn.

"We like to talk about you guys," I told him with a wink.

I had no idea that this time, it was actually true.

"I need to apologize to you," Carolyn said when we got into the bathroom.

"For what?"

"I was…well, I...I sort of gave Mike a hard time…"

"About me?" I asked in surprise.

"I…uh…" she stopped and put her hand over her face. "This is just embarrassing."

"Carolyn…"

"I was afraid that Mike had a thing for you," she blurted out. "I knew something had happened out there and he wouldn't talk about it and my imagination started getting the best of me. And then when I found out what it was, it almost got worse because now he's got a hero-worship thing going on and I can't blame him for that because after hearing what happened, well I have to admit I've got a little bit of it myself because I mean, you saved his life and now I'm forever indebted to you and…"

"Carolyn. Breathe."

"Sorry. Again."

"It's fine," I said, although my face was flushed a dark red. "Any one of us would have done the same thing for _any one of us_. I mean, we're saving each other's asses all the time. Just because it was from a hole in the ice instead of some asshole with a gun…it's the same thing."

"You're not giving yourself enough credit," she argued. "And I just really, really wanted to say thank you."

She grabbed me into a hug, and I was so stunned that it took me several long seconds before I was able to respond by hugging her back.

"Thank you," she said quietly. "I owe you."

"Don't argue," she added quickly before I could open my mouth. "Just say you're welcome."

"You're welcome," I replied with a smile. We let go and stood back from each other.

"And I'm really sorry for being jealous. I know it's unfounded, and I know you and Mike have a great friendship, and I don't want things to be weird. I already talked about it with him, but I wanted to make sure that we were okay, too."

"We're fine. I promise. I appreciate your honesty," I assured her. She took a deep breath and then looked at herself in the mirror.

"Wow, I think I need a few days worth of sleep," she commented as she pushed her hair back from her face. I turned around and looked at myself. The verdict was the same.

"I know," I agreed as I ran my fingers through my own hair. "Oh, and congratulations," I added, catching her gaze in the mirror.

"Mike told you?" she asked with a smile.

"Well, he was pretty excited about it," I replied. "So we had to get drunk to celebrate. Or maybe I should say _more_ drunk because before you sent that text, he was already halfway blitzed. He kept going on and on about how much he loves you and how he couldn't figure out what you see in him and how great you are and…"

"Enough," she laughed. "I get it. I was an idiot."

"We've all been there. It's been what…ten whole days since I had a breakdown on my wedding day? Trust me, you're not alone."

"Thanks. I feel a lot better. And that reminds me…you do owe me a wedding day pick-me-up, right?"

"Yeah, did you guys pick a day?"

"We got the license today," she replied with a grin. "After we left you guys at 1PP, we stopped to talk and…well, to talk…and then he drove us to the courthouse. We haven't worked out the details yet, but we know we want you guys there."

"We wouldn't miss it. How about doing us all a favor and get married in the Bahamas or something?" I suggested thinking about how much I was missing the sunshine.

"Yeah, Ross would love that if you take more vacation days while you're working out your notice," she replied as we left the bathroom.

"Normally I would say to hell with him, but he did kind of come through for us on this one," I said.

And it was true. Ross had stepped up to the plate during the interrogation.

"He really did," she agreed. "He even helped smuggle us out of the building yesterday when Moran showed up with IAB to take Bobby in for questioning."

I gave her a quizzical look. I hadn't heard about that.

"I think we all have a lot of catching up to do," I said as I scooted into the booth next to Bobby. My hand immediately found his and he laced his fingers through mine.

"Everything okay?" Mike asked, looking back and forth between me and Carolyn.

"Everything is fine," she told him. She caught his eye and the two of them shared a scorching look. I could feel the heat from across the table. I was glad that things were still good between them and I caught myself smiling as I leaned in closer to Bobby.

It felt so good for things to be back to normal again.

"So what happened with Stoat?" Carolyn asked when she was finally able to tear her eyes away from Mike.

And just like that, the tension was back.

Bobby recounted the conversation.

"He threatened you?" Carolyn exclaimed. "What are we going to do about it?"

"We told Ross. He'll file a report. And with Moran on the skids, Stoat's going to be hard up to find a friend. I'll be curious to see what they found when they tossed his cell."

"So was I."

The voice caught me off guard. We had all been working for too many hours straight because somehow he had done the impossible – he had managed to sneak up on all of us. They both had.

It was Ross and Rodgers.

"Sorry to interrupt your evening," Liz said apologetically. "Is it okay if we join you?"

* * *

Ross POV-

The department was in an uproar. It was to be expected, though, and the captains were all battening down the hatches. The phrase for the day was "CYA".

But I was a pro. I knew how to cover my ass. Over the past few days, I'd damn near developed carpal tunnel just from typing all of the notes in an effort to document the goings-on related to Moran.

I stayed at the 2-7 while Moran went through processing. It wasn't a pretty sight. He actually cried, and then he cursed Goren for awhile, and then he cursed me for helping Goren.

When I suggested that he maybe curse those responsible, such as himself and possibly Testarossa and Stoat, then he told me to go fuck myself. So I left.

An hour or so later, I got the report from Van Buren that Moran had insisted he knew nothing about the kidnapping until after the fact. It hadn't been his idea, and in fact, he hadn't even known that O'Neil had taken the girl's letter from Goren's house.

According to Carolyn and Goren, Taggart hadn't denied knowledge about the kidnapping when they'd mentioned it during their interview. And he hadn't been surprised, either. Since Taggart and Stoat were cellies, I had no doubt that the kidnapping had been Stoat's idea. He despised Goren, blamed him completely for the fact that he hadn't gotten his badge back. And he had proven himself to be a common criminal, someone capable of doing something as despicable as abducting a ten year old girl just to get at her uncle.

He was also devious enough to go after Eames – _Goren _– just to devastate her partner. And he had been afforded enough contact with the outside world to be able to have made the arrangements.

So I went to the prison to see what they'd found.

And then I'd decided to track down the Gorens at their favorite hangout. It had been a safe bet, considering the past several days, and I wasn't the least bit surprised to find them with Mike and Carolyn.

"Over there," I said to Liz, who had met up with me after my side trip to the prison.

We worked our way through the throng of customers over to the far wall that was lined with booths. The foursome sat at the last booth in the back. I felt a little awkward infringing on their private time, but I decided that the news I had to share was worth the intrusion.

And I had Liz with me. They all liked her.

I could hear Goren's voice as we approached.

"_I'll be curious to see what they found when they tossed his cell."_

"So was I," I said as I got to the table. The four of them looked stunned to see me, but they covered it quickly and plastered smiles on their faces.

"Sorry to interrupt your evening," Liz said apologetically. "Is it okay if we join you?"

"Of course," Alex said, waving toward a nearby empty table. I grabbed two chairs and Liz and I sat at the end of their booth. It reminded me of not so long ago when I had come here for a beer with them after a night of undercover.

That was the night that my detectives had been propositioned with a threesome, and Carolyn had rescued them from it by suggesting her own version of a ménage a trois.

I shook my head at the memory.

And that was the night Goren had given Eames that engagement ring. For real.

I had been witness to it. And didn't even know it.

Boy, was I an idiot.

But looking at them now I was struck by two epiphanies.

One, there was a palpable intensity that existed between them that was undeniable. Anyone within ten feet of them could feel it.

And while I'd always felt like an outsider in their presence, I also realized that the strength of their feelings was a relatively new thing. They hadn't been hiding a relationship from me for years. I think maybe Liz was right about her assessment.

And two, it was good for them. They were so obviously happy together that it was impossible to begrudge them anything. It was actually contagious. It made me want to root for them.

"What did you find, Captain?" Alex asked me. I became aware of the fact that I'd been staring at them for far too long, and I had to force myself to look away.

"Ah…nothing," I said at last. "Nothing in the cell. It was on the cell phone that we found something."

"Don't keep us in suspense," Logan said uneasily.

"There was enough there to keep Stoat in prison for a long time. He used that phone to arrange the break-in, the drug shipment, the kidnapping…he thought he was untouchable because he was holding Moran hostage with the knowledge of what happened to the Barnes girl."

That was the good news. I hesitated for a moment to let them enjoy the fact that evidence was in hand. But I wasn't fooling anybody. It would've been a tough thing to do considering the combined IQ of the people at the table.

"What else?" Goren asked with an apprehensive look on his face. I hated that I was once again going to be the source of unrest for the man, even if it was only by virtue of being the messenger.

"A picture of Eames...um...Goren," I corrected quickly. "A picture of _Alex_. It was text messaged along with your address to several drop cells."

"For the purpose of…" Logan said carefully. He was on edge, too. They all were.

I paused for a minute longer, dreading to say the words, but I knew I had to do it.

"They were hit requests."

TBC...


	21. Chapter 21

**Bobby POV**

* * *

My hope had been that Stoat's threat was empty. That it hadn't occurred to him to go after Alex until the moment that he said the words. If that had been the case, then she was relatively safe. His privileges were gone and his contact with the outside world was not only limited but also monitored.

Ross had just come in and shot my dream all to hell.

Stoat had gotten the word out while he still had the cell phone.

There were at least a dozen numbers tagged to that text, and any one of those guys could have passed it along to any number of other guys...Lord only knew how many hit men out there had Alex's picture and our address.

The table had gone silent with Ross' statement and it took me several long minutes to realize that everyone was staring at me.

Ross was anxious, Rodgers apprehensive, Carolyn concerned, Logan conspiratorial, and Alex…well she looked indifferent.

"This doesn't bother you?" I asked her, pretending as though we were alone at the table.

"It's not anything new," she replied with a shrug.

"But it's…it's…it's a real threat," I said finally. "Stoat was actively seeking a hit man."

"Do we know if he paid anyone?" she asked, turning toward Ross while keeping her hand firmly in mine.

Okay. So she was staying calm and asking the smart questions while I was quietly falling apart. I needed to take a cue from her.

"I've got people looking into it," Ross said with a nod. "That may take some time. It's likely that he has money in places we haven't found yet."

"Check out Candi Ayers' bank account, too," Carolyn suggested. "She's been in tight with him for awhile and has shown her loyalty to him."

"I'll take care of it," Ross assured us.

"Was there any specific time frame mentioned? Do we have any way of knowing when the attempt will be made?" I asked, having mostly pulled myself together. And I gave myself a mental pat on the back for only being a basketcase for a few minutes.

"No. My guess is that they'll watch your apartment. And probably 1PP. Those are the two places they think you'll be. So for now, I think it's a good idea if you guys don't go home."

"Captain," Alex argued, but I interrupted.

"He's right," I said. "We were talking about finding a new place anyway."

"Yeah, but not tonight," she countered.

"So we'll stay at a hotel."

"Or at our place," Mike offered. "We've got room."

"Yeah, but for how long? I'm not going to go into hiding just because some asshole may or may not have hired a contract killer."

"Long enough to let us assess the threat," I told her.

I inched closer to her, feeling the need to be protective of her even in this safe setting. _Fuck, why couldn't people just leave us alone?_

And this…this was without a doubt my fault. Stoat was pretty clear about that. He wanted to screw me over by taking her from me.

I wished now that I hadn't let him go when I had him pinned to the wall. If I'd known then what I know now…yeah, then I'd be the one in jail. But he'd be in the morgue and Alex would be safe, so it probably would've been worth it.

"I'm going to get us all another drink," Liz said suddenly. "Come on. I'll need help carrying everything." She stood up and took Ross with her to the bar. She gave me a look over her shoulder and I nodded at her. She was purposely giving us a minute to talk about things without Ross there to listen.

"What are you thinking?" Logan asked me once they were gone.

"I know what you're thinking," Alex said, turning in the booth to face me. "That this is all your fault. And you're wishing you'd killed him when you had the chance."

"Right, as usual," I replied.

"Bobby," she began.

"I know. It's not my style. But I could've at least made him hurt a little more."

"And?"

"And I'm not to blame. Stoat is," I said. I knew it was what she wanted to hear, and I mostly believed it. I hoped that if I said it enough, it would eventually penetrate my thick skull. She leaned over and gave me a quick kiss.

"That's right. It's Stoat. He's a criminal and you put him in jail. That's what we do. If one of them happens to get focused on one or both of us, then that's just a downside to the job. It's not like we haven't been here before."

"A lot," Mike added with a wry grin. "Recently."

"So what's the plan here?" Carolyn asked. "We don't have long before your boss comes back."

"We have to go pro-active. It's what we do best," I said. "We need to talk to everyone that Stoat knows, everyone he's talked to. We need to talk to everyone that _they've_ talked to. We need to try to track those drop phones. And we need to see if there's a money trail anywhere."

"And we'll need your help," Alex added with a nod toward Mike and Carolyn.

"You say that like you could get rid of us if you tried," Mike replied. "We're not going anywhere."

"Right. Because…" Carolyn added.

"I know, I know," Alex interrupted.

"What? You know what?" I asked. I was clueless.

"Because we owe her," Carolyn explained with a shrug. "I mean, we'd be doing this anyway, but especially now."

"Owe you for what?" I asked Alex. She put her head down into her hands.

"Come on, guys," she mumbled.

"Why am I the only one at the table who doesn't know what's going on?"

"She didn't tell you yet?" Mike asked.

"No, she wouldn't," Carolyn said. "Because she doesn't see it as any big deal."

"What?" I asked again with a nod towards the bar. Ross and Liz were headed this way, and damned if I was going to wait any longer.

"No, let's wait for those two. I'm sure they'd love to hear it," Mike said with a grin.

"Mike, I swear to God…" Alex bit out, but she stopped as Liz and Ross sat down at the table after distributing the latest round of beers.

"Now that you guys have plotted out your revenge against Stoat, is there anything I need to know about? Am I going to be providing cover? Driving a getaway car?" Ross asked sarcastically after taking a sip of his brew.

"Did you just make a joke?" Liz asked him, feigning shock.

"Ha ha. I have a sense of humor," he replied and he actually smiled. I realized that those two were trying hard to lighten the mood and I appreciated the effort. It almost made me forget about this thing Alex wasn't telling me. But no amount of distraction was going to thwart my curiosity.

I kept staring at Alex, and then she finally leaned in close and whispered in my ear.

"I was going to tell you. It's not a secret, it's just…they're making such a production about it."

"Didn't anyone ever tell you that it's rude to whisper in front of others?" Mike admonished, waggling his finger at us.

"Didn't anyone ever tell you to mind your own damn business?" Alex responded.

"Daily. I always ignore them.

"Shut up, Mike," Alex told him with a smile and a theatrical roll of her eyes.

Yeah, the mood at the table had definitely lightened, and I had to admit that it was a good thing. I couldn't let Stoat take over our lives. Even though I took the threat seriously - very seriously - and I was going to get to the bottom of it, that didn't mean I couldn't enjoy a little downtime with our friends.

"Are these two always like this?" Liz asked.

"Yes," Carolyn and I answered together.

"So, Alex," Mike began, his voice taking on a teasing sound. "You were just getting ready to tell everyone about how you saved my life yesterday."

"What?" That was me. And Ross and Liz. All at the same time.

I looked at Mike and he had a smug expression on his face. He crossed his arms over his chest and sat back in the booth. He was thoroughly enjoying himself.

When I turned to Alex, her face was once again a flaming red color and she was shooting virtual daggers at Logan. Then she sighed dramatically and took a long drink of her beer.

"Okay. Fine. It was no big deal," she began.

"Except that it was," Carolyn contradicted. Alex quieted her with a mock-glare and then continued.

"We were chasing O'Neil across a field only it turned out to be a frozen-over lake. Mike fell in."

"Through the ice?" Ross asked in disbelief.

"And lived to tell the tale," Liz commented. "That's unusual."

"Thanks, Doc. That's what I've been saying," Logan replied. "Wonder Woman here seems to think it was a normal occurrence for a woman of her size to drag a man of my size out of the water."

"Wonder Woman?" Ross asked hesitantly.

"Don't ask," Alex replied quickly. "Please."

"You had to pull him out? He was unconscious?" I asked her.

"How did you do that?" Liz asked as she stared at Alex intently.

And I knew that this was what she hated. Alex didn't like being in the spotlight. But damn. This time she was just going to have to suck it up because it was really quite an incredible feat.

"I don't know. I just grabbed him and got him out."

"That's how you hurt your hand," I commented, bringing her hand up onto the table. Liz took it from me and began to look it over carefully.

"Yeah, how did you do that?" Mike asked her.

"I…uh…I couldn't get a um…a grip on the ice, and so when I would pull, I ended up just sliding closer to the hole, so I…uh…"

"You forced a hand-hold in the ice with your bare hand," Liz concluded with amazement. "Does this hurt?" she asked, moving the tips of Alex's fingers.

"It's better today," she replied. And I could tell she was lying.

"You may have broken a couple of distal phalanges."

"Is that doc-speak for fingers?" Mike asked.

"The ends of the fingers. It's the last bone here," she said, touching Alex's fingers at the tips.

"I'm fine," she insisted, taking her hand back from Liz and putting it in her lap.

"And hey, weren't you going to let Liz check you out when we got back?" Alex reminded Mike. "You were coughing an awful lot yesterday."

He looked noncommittal, but Rodgers pinned him with a stare.

"My office. Tomorrow morning," she told him.

"Your office is a morgue," he griped.

"Mike," Carolyn said. "It's that or the ER."

"Fine. Thanks a lot, Alex."

"No problem," she said with a smile, happy to have at least a little bit of payback.

"So you were trying to get him out and…" Ross encouraged.

"Yeah, okay. So I got a grip on the ice and I pulled him out. End of story."

"Not end of story," Mike argued. "I had no pulse," he added.

"Yeah, he…um…wasn't breathing, so I um…gave him CPR."

"Alex, that's just amazing," Liz said.

And I had to agree. I had always known that Alex was remarkable, but still… a sense of pride rushed through me. That's _my_ Alex.

"I guess I don't need to ask about the Wonder Woman comment anymore," Ross added drolly. And then he said, "I think I need to put you up for a Medal of Valor. You were out of jurisdiction, but you were technically still on the job."

"No, Captain, really…"

"He's right, Alex. It's pretty impressive," I told her. "If that's not medal-worthy then I don't know what is."

"But…I…I was scared to death the entire time," she admitted.

"And you did it anyway," Liz remarked. "Even more impressive. Do you know how long he was out?"

"I kept count. It was…um…nearly two minutes."

"Two minutes? I didn't realize," Carolyn said.

"Neither did I," Mike added. "And you kept count? While you were trying to figure out how to pull me out?"

"Do you know how cold the water was?" Liz questioned, leaning in closer to Alex. "I mean, that's a long time to be out, and he doesn't appear to be suffering from any brain damage."

"How can you tell?" Alex asked her with a grin.

"Hey!"

"So did you use the traditional 2/30 split method, or the new version of rapid compressions without mouth to mouth?"

"Liz," Ross said in an effort to get her to stop the questions.

"I'm sorry. It's just fascinating."

"You guys aren't going to let this go, are you?"

"Not a chance."

Alex sat back against the booth and let out a sigh. And then she turned her head to look at me, and I recognized the spark in her eye.

"What?" I asked her quietly while the others were still talking.

"We could use this," she said. I instantly knew what she meant.

"To lure him out," I stated with a nod. "We get the press to release that you'll be receiving an award. We can list the time and place. And then we keep you hidden away between now and then so that the hit man doesn't see another option. It could work."

"Look at how far you've come," she teased. "I mention using myself as bait and you don't even bat an eye."

"Well, you _can_ take care of yourself," I replied with a shrug and a smile. I picked up her hand and brought it to my lips. I didn't care that Ross was sitting with us. We were on our time here.

"I know that look," Mike said, calling our attention back to the rest of the table. The four of them were all looking at us. "You guys have a plan."

I nodded.

"We have a plan."

TBC...


	22. Chapter 22

**Alex POV**

* * *

This was going to work. I had to believe it.

Because I was mortified by the prospect of being publicly heralded for doing something that anyone would have done. I mean really. Someone needs help, you help. It's not rocket science. And it's not freakin' medal-worthy.

But if it was going to lure this creep out of hiding and have him try to take a shot at me, then fine.

We left the bar after another hour or so. It was still fairly early, but we were all worn out. The casual conversation had been nice, though. It had helped us all unwind.

Although it had been a little weird to hang out with Ross in a personal setting. But he actually seemed to be working hard at getting along. And being supportive. And calling us by name. So I decided to cut him some slack. We all did.

Mike and Carolyn had offered again for us to stay with them for a few days, but since we weren't sure how long it was going to take, we decided to just go to a hotel.

Besides, Bobby and I really needed some alone time, and after having to make due in an SUV earlier this afternoon, I had a feeling that Mike's coat closet just wasn't going to cut it this time.

But we did need to go by the place to pick up some clothes. Poor Bobby was still walking around in a two-days-worn suit. I still had my duffle from my trip to Minnesota, but it had been hastily packed.

And really, what were the odds that the guy would be hanging out at our apartment, just waiting for us to come home after we'd been gone for nearly forty-eight hours?

Apparently Mike thought they were decent odds, so he insisted that he and Carolyn come with us while we packed. I didn't have the strength to argue.

"It's not like nothing bad has ever happened here," he remarked as we climbed the stairs. I had just mentioned for the fifth, possibly sixth, time that an escort wasn't really necessary. "You remember Masarro, right?"

I ignored him, choosing instead to slip under Bobby's arm and walk alongside him. I'd noticed he was favoring his left side a little, and I had a feeling his leg was bothering him. I looked at him and raised my eyebrow, but he just shrugged and gave me a tired smile.

"And you know Ethan Garrett was here," Logan continued. "And Marty O'Neil. SWAT. Homicide."

"Oh for the love of God, would you please shut up?" I finally said, although I couldn't stop the laugh that came with it. He was right. It was absurd to think of all that had happened at this place.

"I'm just saying…" he added with a grin.

But as we approached the apartment, I was struck by a sense of sadness, and I came to a stop a few feet from the door. Despite everything that Mike had just said, I still liked this apartment.

I'd come to this door that first night I'd chased after Bobby. After the Declan interview. And then I'd come back a couple of weeks later, after the Conlon case. That was the first night we'd made love. And then of course, there had been countless times since then.

"What's wrong?" Bobby said quietly as he stopped beside me. As usual, he was in tune with my mood.

"We're going to move," I stated.

"You don't want to?"

"I was just thinking about everything that's happened here. There are some good memories."

"We'll make new ones, I promise," he said, pulling me tighter against his side. "And just think of all the new places we'll have to…inaugurate," he added, whispering directly into my ear. His words sent shivers down my spine and pulled me from my funk.

He was right. We'd only been in the apartment together for a few months. He probably had a lot of bad memories of the place that he'd just as soon replace. So we'd find something good together and start from scratch.

"Are you guys coming or what?" Logan asked.

He and Carolyn were waiting beside the door and I felt bad for holding them up. I knew they were just as anxious for this day to be done as we were.

The four of us carefully entered the apartment with weapons drawn. It didn't appear as though anyone had been there since Bobby and Carolyn had left the previous morning. Their coffee cups were still in the sink and the laptop was on the kitchen table.

It didn't take long to clear the rooms. Once we were assured that no one was hiding out in a closet waiting to kill me, Mike and Carolyn went to the living room and sat down to wait while Bobby and I packed

"You guys don't have to stay," I called out to them. "It's fine."

"We're here," Carolyn said. "Ten more minutes won't make much difference."

"Hey, was it just me, or did Ross actually seem normal tonight?" Mike asked.

"I knew there had to be a decent man in there somewhere. Liz is no fool," I replied.

"I know, but I didn't think we'd ever actually be witness to it," Bobby added. I watched as he grabbed several suits from the closet and added them to a garment bag.

"We're not going to be going to 1PP," I reminded him. "Pack some jeans."

"There you go again. Bossing me around," he teased.

He turned around to look at me and his eye caught on something behind me.

"Get down!" he shouted as he dove toward me.

I dropped like a rock and Bobby draped his body over mine, keeping my head down against the rug.

At the same moment, I heard glass breaking and the whiz of a bullet. It lodged in the wall directly across from where I had been standing seconds before.

"Shooter!" Bobby yelled to the others. Keeping low to the ground, we crawled into the hallway.

"Where?" Logan called back. I heard scrambling from the living room as he and Carolyn got onto the floor.

"Backside of the building! A couple of roofs over!"

"We're on it!" Carolyn called back. They went out the front door as we made our way down the hall and into the kitchen. The window there faced the same direction as the one in the bedroom.

"Can you see anyone?" I asked as Bobby took a quick look out the window. My heart was pounding from the adrenaline rush.

"Nothing."

"How did you know?"

"I saw that the shade was up," Bobby said. "And then I saw a flash of light, like a reflection off of a scope."

"Damn good thing you did," I told him. He caught my eye and nodded intently. We had both seen where that bullet had penetrated the wall.

"I guess that answers the question of whether or not Stoat had any takers," I said grimly. I hadn't really thought for a second that someone would come after me tonight. How long had the killer been waiting over there?

"We need to call Ross," Bobby said as he pulled out his phone. "We never have that shade open. Someone was in here. Again."

Two hours later, we finally left the apartment. This time, I had no feelings of sorrow. Instead, I couldn't get out of there fast enough.

CSU had lifted tons of prints, but they were likely all accounted for. I was starting to think I needed to keep my own supply of black powder around for just such an occasion.

Mike and Carolyn had searched the rooftops of the nearby buildings, but came up empty. Once CSU finished with their analysis of the trajectory of the bullet we would have a better idea of where the shooter had been sitting, but for now we had nothing. Except a broken window and a .223 bullet lodged in our bedroom wall.

"You guys get out of here. I'll lock up when they're done," Ross told us. CSU was still working, but we were all asleep on our feet.

"Yeah, 'cause that'll keep the bad guys out," Mike replied sarcastically. Ross just shook his head.

"Go. And I don't even want to know where you're going. Just check in with me tomorrow."

We dropped Mike and Carolyn back at their car at McNally's and then drove a circuitous route to the Roosevelt. It was a little pricey, but a few nights of luxury wasn't going to break our bank account. Not to mention the fact that I'd stayed in a complete dump the night before. And I'd just been shot at.

"I cannot believe that I finally have you alone," Bobby said as he closed the door to the hotel room.

"You had me alone in the SUV this afternoon," I reminded him with a smile. He pulled me into his arms and held me close.

"I did have you this afternoon, didn't I?" he whispered. "I think I need to have you again though. I didn't get to spend nearly enough time inside of you."

"I'm sure we can remedy that," I replied softly, enjoying the feel of his strong arms wrapped around me. He pressed a kiss onto the top of my head and then stepped back.

"I would love to," he agreed. "But _a__fter_ I take a shower. I'm working on day two here."

"I could help," I offered. "You know, if you think that maybe there's somewhere you can't reach."

"I was hoping you were going to say that."

So we took a shower.

And we got pretty damn clean.

Once we were out and dried off, Bobby stretched out on the bed, face down and naked. I straddled his butt and started massaging his back.

"You saved my life tonight," I told him as I kneaded the tight muscles. "How come nobody's making a big deal out of that? If you hadn't seen that scope, or if it had taken you another second to react…"

"I don't even want to think about that," he murmured. And I let the topic go because I wanted him to relax.

"I noticed you were favoring you left side tonight. Are you okay?"

"Yeah. When that truck rammed us yesterday, it shoved the door handle into the same spot as the baseball bat." His bruise was still healing from Jocelyn Moser's swing. It was now a lovely pattern of yellow and brown.

"It's tight?"

"Like you wouldn't believe."

I slid off his butt and scooted down so that I could work on his leg. His left thigh was a mess of knotted muscle, so I focused on that area. He rolled onto his right side so that he could watch me.

"Don't use your right hand," he reminded me gently.

"I'm not using the fingers. Just the palm," I told him as I lightly trailed my right hand over the path I had just worked with my left.

"That feels…so nice. Why are you so good to me?"

"Because I love you," I replied quickly. "You deserve it."

"I'm not going to let anything happen to you," he said sincerely in a low, throaty tone. "I know you're a bad ass cop and all that, and I know you can take care of yourself, but…believe me when I say that I'm never going to let anything happen to you."

His eyes were shining and I knew he was getting choked up. I was so proud of him for not freaking out about me getting shot at tonight, but just because he hadn't over-reacted that didn't mean it wouldn't still affect him. I mean, _of course _it would affect him.

"I know," I said easily. There was no way I was going to make him feel bad about wanting to keep me safe.

I slid my hands from his thigh, along over his hip and up to his chest.

"I hate that someone is after you again. But we're going to get him. I promise you that. If I have to go back to Stoat and break every bone in his body to get him to tell me who's behind this, I will."

"Bobby…we'll get him. This plan will work," I assured him. I pressed my lips against his chest.

"But until it's time to put it into action, we're safe here," I added. I pushed him onto his back and stretched my body out on top of his. His arms immediately went around me, keeping me firmly against him.

I ran my fingers through his damp hair, loving the feel of the soft strands. I had missed him so much that now I just wanted to touch every inch of him. And since I could, I did.

"No one knows where we are," I continued, whispering into his ear while my hands continued their exploration. "We don't have to be at work tomorrow. We don't have any responsibilities…It's just me and you."

He sighed deeply.

"That's all I've ever wanted it to be."

TBC...


	23. Chapter 23

**Logan POV**

* * *

When we got into our car at McNally's, the events of the day came crashing down on me.

It was hard to believe that I'd started the morning passed out cold in Alex's hotel room.

Since then, I'd flown two thousand miles, driven across town – three times, watched the chief of detectives crumple like a wet Dixie cup, had sex in the back of the truck, gotten a marriage license, agreed to a check-up in the morgue, drank beer with Ross, and then searched rooftops for a lone gunman.

I was exhausted just rehashing it in my brain.

I buckled my seat belt and turned to Carolyn, pleasantly surprised to find her looking at me.

"We're going to get married," she said with a slow smile. I broke into a grin, happy that after everything today, that was foremost in her mind.

"We need to hurry up before you change your mind," I replied as I started the car.

"Mike."

"I'm teasing," I assured her. "Maybe we need to hurry up before I change _my_ mind."

I was rewarded for my joke with a smack to the shoulder, but then she settled up next to me in the seat and laid her head against me. I put the car in gear and then raised my arm up so she could slip under it and snuggle against my chest. Even better. I could drive with one hand.

"I can't wait to be back home and in our bed together," I said as I drove through the busy streets. "It feels like it's been forever."

"Um hmm…" she hummed in agreement. "So who do you think was on the roof tonight? And how would he have known when Alex would be there?"

"I can't even hazard a guess, but whoever it was, he was probably there for awhile. Maybe he assumed she was working a regular shift and was just hoping to catch her when she got home. It would be a logical assumption to make, thinking that evening hours would be a good time."

"That's true. We'll have to go back and search the rooftops again after CSU nails down the trajectory. He might have left behind some kind of evidence."

"I think our best bet is going to be at this award ceremony. I wonder how long it'll take Ross to set it up."

"Probably this week. Although it is Christmas on Friday so that might slow things down."

"This is going to be our first Christmas together," I remarked. "And I haven't even bought you a present yet."

"I don't need anything," she said. "I have everything I want."

"You are the sweetest woman," I said softly, leaning down a little to kiss the top of her head. "But you've lost your freakin' mind if you think I'm not going to buy you a present."

I felt her chuckle as she held me tighter. Her hand slipped inside my jacket and I could feel the heat from her skin through the fabric of my shirt. I enjoyed the sensation and wished I weren't driving so that I would wrap both of my arms around her.

But for now, I was going to enjoy the feeling of her hands on me. It was such a comfort to be held by her. Hell, I even loved just talking with her.

See, big surprise here. I've never been much for relationships before. Especially not ones that weren't centered around sex.

But with Carolyn, the sex was just a bonus.

Okay, so it was a really hot, extremely satisfying, best-I've-ever-had kind of bonus, but still…it wasn't just about that. I loved everything about her, and I just wanted to be around her.

And I really, really wanted to be married to her. Before Christmas.

So I had three days to work something out.

"We need to go into work tomorrow," she said quietly. "We've got that Lipscomb file we've been ignoring."

"You're a slave driver," I joked. "You're going to make me set an alarm?"

"I didn't say what time we had to go in."

"Ah…I like the way you think."

"We'll go in, maybe around eight or nine, and take a look at that file and then by the time we finish, we should be able to go back to the apartment and track down the shooter's vantage point."

"Depending on how far away the shot was taken, it may narrow down our suspect pool."

"And we've got the slug. Maybe ballistics can match it up to something in the system."

"It sure would be nice to catch this guy before the award ceremony. Especially since we have no idea what he looks like."

"Or she. There are women sharpshooters, you know."

"That's true. I'm about to be married to one of them."

"No, you're about to be married to an expert shooter. That's an important step up from sharpshooter, in case you were wondering," she added with a smile.

"Expert, huh? Remind me never to piss you off."

"Mike," she laughed. "You piss me off daily. But I would never shoot you."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. If I wanted you dead, I'd be a lot more subtle. I mean, I wouldn't want to get caught or anything."

"Very funny," I remarked as I pulled over in front of our house. I loved her sense of humor. It tended to lean toward the dark side, but considering the kinds of things we dealt with on a regular basis, jokes were often a necessity.

"You know, like a little poison in your coffee," she continued as she climbed out of the truck. "Or maybe cut the brake lines on your truck…"

By this time, I had gone around the front of the SUV and met her on the sidewalk in front of our place. Her mischievous grin was a huge turn-on, despite the fact that she'd been teasing me about all of the ways she could off me.

There was only one thing she could do to me that would be the end of me, and since she'd already promised that she'd never leave me, I knew I was safe.

But the teasing had to stop. Because that look on her face and her sexy voice, and the way she looked in those form-fitting black slacks…I was past teasing. I grabbed her and picked her up, throwing her over my shoulder in a fireman's carry.

"Mike, put me down," she insisted immediately. But I walked up the sidewalk and climbed the front steps.

"Mike!" she said again, laughter rumbling through her lithe body. "I'm serious! Put me down."

"Make me," I challenged as I fought to get my keys out of my pocket and into the lock. She was squirming like crazy, but she weighed next to nothing.

"You think this Neanderthal routine is doing anything for me? You think it's getting me hot?"

"Yes," I replied confidently. I got us into the house and then I closed and locked the door behind us.

"I thought you were tired," she said, although she sounded like she hoped I was anything but tired.

"I was until you had to start getting all sassy with me."

"You like sass? Well we're a match made in heaven then."

"That's what I've been trying to tell you," I said.

I ran my hands up the backs of her legs until I reached her hips and then I slowly lowered her to the ground. I let every inch of her slide intimately down the front of me. By the time her toes hit the floor, I was done for.

But so was she.

"As much as I loved doing it in the backseat of that SUV, it wasn't enough," she said huskily as she yanked at my shirt. "It didn't make up for you not being in our bed last night."

"I barely made it to any bed last night," I admitted. "I didn't even take my shoes off."

"We need to make up for that," she told me. And damned if she didn't almost have me completely undressed already. I love a goal-oriented woman. "Hurry," she said as she whipped off my belt.

"I think you just about got it, babe," I replied. And she did. She jerked my pants off of me, taking my shoes and socks right along with them in one fell swoop.

And just like that, one minute after walking through the door, I was bare ass naked in our foyer. The only problem was that she was still fully dressed.

"Looks like I've been a slacker," I commented as I reached for her sweater.

"Uh uh," she told me with a shake of her head. She took me by the hand headed for the stairs. "I think maybe I haven't been doing my job."

"What job is that?" I asked, although I was admittedly having an extremely difficult time focusing on her words. Right now, I was doing good to put one foot in front of the other.

"I tend to keep my feelings on the inside. And maybe that's been hard on you. I need to work on being a little more _clear_ about exactly how I feel about you."

"I know how you feel," I told her as we entered the bedroom.

"Yeah? Are you sure? Because I think maybe your…ego….could use a good…stroking."

She kicked off her shoes and then stepped up close to me, running her hands over my chest. And then she stood on tiptoe to whisper in my ear.

"I've got plans for you."

She slowly reached behind her and pulled a pair of handcuffs from where she kept them in a case clipped on the waistband of her slacks. She had quit carrying them when she'd started consulting, but ever since we'd been hanging out with the Gorens, our need for them had increased exponentially. And hey, what's not to love about a woman with handcuffs?

"I love you so much...And I really, _really_ missed you. You're not going to be leaving me again any time soon…right?" she asked in that super-sexy voice.

I could only nod dumbly as she walked me backwards until I was against the bed. I had no real brain function by this point. I was pretty much at her mercy. And damn, there was nowhere else I'd rather be.

The phone pulled me out of a dead sleep, and I was pleasantly surprised to be met with daylight when I opened my eyes.

"Get the phone," Carolyn mumbled. She was sprawled next to me with one arm across my chest and one leg covering mine.

"You've got to let me up," I chuckled. And then I saw the clock. Ten-fifteen.

"Shit, Carolyn, it's after ten," I said, removing her from me as gently as I could and sitting up in the bed. But when my words sank into her sleep-dazed brain, she shot out of bed quickly.

"After ten? Oh my God, I never sleep this late!" she exclaimed as she hustled toward the bathroom.

I reached over and picked up the phone that was still ringing. It was the landline, not our cells.

"Yeah. Logan."

"Mike, where are you guys?" It was Alex. "I've been calling you."

I looked around in search of my cell, but it was likely still in the foyer along with my pants.

"Uh…we're still at home. What's up?"

"You're going to love this," she told me. "Ballistics was able to match up the bullet. The striations were a hit to a slug pulled out of an Escalade that was car jacked. This was seven years ago."

"Seven years ago?" I repeated. I knew there was more. "And I'm going to love this…why?"

"Guess who went to prison for it. Three years for use of a firearm in the commission of a felony."

"That was the only charge on a car jacking?"

"Seems this guy has a penchant for singing to the DA. He keeps dealing down. So he did his three years, and then got out and hooked up with a Mafia hottie."

"You don't mean..."

"Oh yeah."

"No fucking way. He's in Sussex! Or he was a month ago."

"Yeah, well, he gave up all kinds of goods on the family. He got time-served and probation."

"He must have one hell of a lawyer," I remarked. "But how would Stoat know him?"

"Through Testarossa. The club was one of dozens of businesses that Vincenzo used to squeeze for protection."

This was unbelievable. And yet not overly devastating. Because we knew him. We knew what he looked like and we knew how he worked.

But still…fucking Frankie Moretti.

TBC...


	24. Chapter 24

**Alex POV**

* * *

A good night's sleep had done wonders for both me and Bobby.

There had been no cops at our door, no late-night phone calls…just eight straight hours of sleep.

Together.

I had fallen asleep enveloped in his arms and I must not have budged all night, because that was exactly the same position I was in when I woke up.

"Now see," I murmured when I opened my eyes and realized that Bobby was awake and watching me. "This is what we need to do every night."

"You don't expect me to argue about that, do you?" he asked as he moved his hand and began stroking my hair. "Because I was going to suggest that this was what we need to do all _day_, too."

"Sounds like a great idea to me," I replied, closing my eyes again under his gentle ministrations. "I think when we find a new place to live, maybe we don't tell anybody."

"Not anyone?"

"No. We'll keep it a secret. And then we can have quiet nights all to ourselves every night."

"Now you're just talking crazy," he teased. "We wouldn't know what to do with ourselves."

"Oh, I think we could come up with something," I sighed contentedly. "No visitors...no cell phones..."

"Where do you want to go for our honeymoon?" he whispered as his hands wandered seemingly everywhere at once.

"I don't want to go anywhere. I want to stay right here in this room, in this bed."

"Is there something in particular you want me to do to you in this bed?" he asked me suggestively.

Of course, I didn't have to respond. He knew all of the right things to do and he was more than happy to oblige me.

But after only a few minutes of zen, my cell phone rang. I let out a groan of disappointment and rolled over to get my cell off the nightstand. I looked at the display.

"It's Ross," I told Bobby. We both sat up in the bed.

Ross knew how much we'd been through lately. And even though it was already nine o'clock in the morning, he still wouldn't have called us if he didn't have _something_.

"Captain," I answered. "I've got you on speaker. What's going on?"

"We had a ballistics hit. It's a blast from the past."

"Who?"' Bobby asked.

"Frankie Moretti."

"The thug? I thought he was in prison in Virginia."

"He dealt out. A few years with the Masarro family made him a hot commodity with the DA, especially since we didn't have proof of Frankie ever actually committing any violent crimes. Drug- and gun-running, sure," he said sarcastically. "But no murders."

"So how does he figure in?" I asked.

"He jacked an Escalade seven years ago. The driver fought back and the gun went off, lodging a bullet into the seat. It matches up with the bullet we pulled out of your wall last night."

"So he gets out and jumps on a hit request."

"It probably seemed like an early Christmas present," I said. "He's getting paid for something he wanted to do anyway. It's not like we're his favorite people."

"I'm not seeing the connection between him and Stoat," Ross admitted.

"Testarossa was mobbed up," Bobby stated. "When I was working there, Stoat was complaining about some of his cut going to the Italians. They were trying to cut loose from them, but Masarro had a tight grip."

"So we actually did Testarossa a favor by taking down Masarro," I remarked. The irony was insane. "We freed up the strip club, and now Stoat is reaching out to those same guys to do a hit."

"It's not surprising that Stoat would reach out to the mob. We've taken out most of his outside help. He was probably desperate for more manpower. It was just his dumb luck that he found someone who hated us about as much as he does."

"So I've put out an APB on Frankie," Ross said. "He got out of Sussex three weeks ago. He's been working with cash since then because we can't find any sign of him."

"Did you check with Masarro's widow? She was raising the kid," I reminded him.

"Not yet, but I've got a black-and-white headed over there now to sit on the place just in case."

"He won't go there," Bobby mumbled. He got up out of the bed and started pacing. "What else do we have, Captain?"

"His last known address is a bust. His known associates are either in jail or dead."

"Any luck with the drop phones?" I asked.

"Nothing. They're untraceable."

I met Bobby's gaze from across the room.

"I'm thinking I need to meet with Stoat," Ross continued. "Maybe I can make some kind of deal with him in exchange for him canceling the hit."

Bobby gave me a questioning look, but I shook my head. No fucking way was I going to make a deal with Stoat.

"Give us some time, Captain," I said. "We might have some other avenues we can try."

"You've got until Thursday morning."

"You set up the award ceremony already?" I asked in surprise.

"The commissioner was thrilled to have something to take the press' attention off of Moran. I could barely get the words out of my mouth before he had it approved. Nine o'clock Thursday morning."

"Hopefully we can find him before then, but if not, at least we know who we're looking for," Bobby said.

"Oh and Eames," Ross said.

I couldn't stop the smirk – not only had Ross used the wrong name again, but he knew it and sighed heavily. "I'm sorry. Alex. I'm just going to call you Alex to save the confusion okay?"

"That's fine, Captain."

"Good. Anyway, your old buddy Peter Lyons was asking about you. He's been assigned to work the ceremony and he called me when he saw the name Detective Alex Goren on the directive. He thought it was a misprint."

"Peter the interpreter?" Bobby asked, instantly on the alert.

The male species never ceased to amaze me. Here I was, naked, sitting in a hotel room with an equally naked Bobby…we were _married_, for the love of God, and yet the mere mention of the name of a man who had at one time showed a vague interest in me was apparently cause for jealousy.

I threw a pillow at Bobby to stop his mind from traveling down that path.

He looked at me, and I held my hands out from my body in a gesture that clearly said _do you see me here? Are you really going to worry about a guy I _talked_ to nearly three years ago?_

He replied with a shrug and put his head down, and then looked up at me quickly and gave me a grin.

_I had to ask_, he mouthed.

"Don't worry, Detective," Ross answered in an amused tone. "I set him straight. Now what about these other avenues? Should I ask?"

"Not yet," Bobby replied, seemingly back in work mode now that he was appeased by Ross' clarification to Peter about our relationship.

"Okay," he agreed. "But watch yourselves. And check in with me later."

I hung up with Ross and looked at Bobby.

"I think I'm going to like him a lot better now that we're just about done working for him. I think these past few months have been an eye-opening experience for him."

"Where would Moretti be hanging out? He got a hold of his old gun. He was keeping it somewhere accessible," Bobby said, mostly to himself as he tried to work out this latest information.

I watched him as he continued to pace. I knew that it helped him think, but considering that he wasn't wearing a stitch of clothing, it was a little distracting. I climbed out of the bed and tossed him a pair of clean boxers from his duffle bag.

"I can't think with you like that," I told him with a smile. He raised his eyebrows and deliberately looked me up and down, reminding me about my own state of undress. I reached back into his bag, got out a t-shirt, and pulled it over my head.

"Better?" I asked him.

"No, I liked you better the other way. But I guess we do need to concentrate."

"You know, I'm really not all that upset about this. It's actually a good thing. We know who he is. All we have to do is find him first."

"That's what I was thinking. It would've been a lot worse if we had nothing to go on."

"We need to call Mike. He can reach out to his Westie buddy so that we can get the word on the street. The Irish were none too happy with Masarro's group. I bet they'll keep an ear to the ground."

"This is like déjà vu," he commented. "Working with the Irish to take out the Italians."

"We don't need them to help us take him out. Just to find him. With the Masarro family disbanded, Frankie's surely trying to hook up with someone. Guys like him don't do so well on their own."

"Yeah, well, if he's got the reputation for being a rat, we might not have to worry about him for long. If the word is out that he's back in New York, somebody else may take him out for us."

"I'm good with that," I replied easily.

Frankie was a lowlife gangster. I wasn't going to feel bad about tracking him down like a dog, and it wouldn't keep me up at night if someone else got to him first. His best hope was that we found him because then he'd only end up back in prison instead of in a pine box.

"I've got another idea, too," Bobby continued. "We should let Candi make bail. I'll be curious to see what she does."

"Maybe once she's out, we can text her from Stoat's confiscated cell. She won't know he doesn't have it anymore."

"Even better," he said, crossing the room to where I stood. "Now that we've got that settled…"

He got right up next to me, looming over me and pinning me against the wall just by his sheer proximity.

"What are you doing?" I asked on a laugh. I took one hand and pushed on his chest, but he stood fast.

"I think we were in the middle of something when the phone rang."

"Yeah, but now we've got work to do. We have to get Mike and Carolyn up to speed, we have to call Van Buren and arrange for Candi to get bail…"

"In a little while," he insisted. His hands found the hem of the t-shirt and he quickly pulled the material over my head and then flung it behind him.

"Who are you and what did you do with my husband?" I asked, still chuckling.

He wasn't kicking back into over-protective mode with the new knowledge of the hit man's identity? He didn't want to run off half-cocked in pursuit of Moretti?

"I'm tired of work always coming first. I'm changing my mantra," he said as he pushed his fingers into my hair, his lips hovered a fraction away from mine.

"Relationship now, work later."

It was nearly ten before we'd exhausted each other, and we finally agreed that it was time to get our heads out of the sand.

Our break was over. We needed to find Moretti.

I tried Mike on his cell a few times while Bobby made arrangements with Van Buren. Eventually, I gave the landline a shot and after eight rings, he finally answered.

"Yeah. Logan."

I didn't like Frankie Moretti. I had a bruise from the butt of that damn shotgun for nearly two weeks after our little escapade in Richmond.

But I knew that Mike absolutely loathed him. Frankie had given up Mike's plate number to Masarro's flunkies which had ultimately led to his kidnapping.

So I knew that Mike was going to be thrilled at the prospect of payback.

"You're going to love this."

TBC...


	25. Chapter 25

**Bobby POV**

* * *

Tuesday night was a repeat of Monday night with a few notable exceptions.

We weren't overly exhausted, which was a nice change. We had all gotten good sleep the previous night, so we felt more on our game.

We didn't go to McNally's because I was afraid that if Ross knew enough about us to track us down there then possibly Frankie could, too. So instead we went to a similar place about ten blocks over.

And we found a table for six instead of a booth for four. Ross and Rodgers wanted to join us for the update-slash-brainstorm session. And considering that it was Alex's life on the line, I was more than happy to have two more brains in the mix.

Right now, no one liked the way things were progressing. Or rather, not progressing.

We had spent all of Tuesday trying to track down Frankie Moretti. It was frustrating that we couldn't find him because I knew he wasn't that damn smart.

"So any luck with your Irish mob pals?" I asked Mike after the waitress took our orders. Rodgers' eyebrows shot up, but she kept her mouth shut. I guess Ross hadn't filled her in on everything that had happened in Boston.

"No. And I talked to the big man himself. No one's heard from the little bastard. He's keeping a low profile."

"And the rooftop was clean, too," Carolyn added. "CSU told us where he would've been sitting, but there was nothing left behind."

"I don't remember him being this good," I commented. "I wonder who his cell mate was at Sussex."

"You think he picked up some tips?" Ross asked.

"Maybe."

"I'll check it out in the morning," he promised.

"What about the money trail?" Alex asked him. He shook his head.

"I can't find any sign of money being moved around. Candi has none to speak of and Stoat's accounts were frozen when he went to prison. Of course, there's always the club money."

"I'm sure that will be harder to track," Carolyn commented. "There's a lot of cash floating around in a place like that."

"Alex and I went to Sing Sing today, but we struck out with Frankie's old carjacking buddy," I told them. "He didn't have any idea where Frankie would hide out. And I got the feeling that he'd really like to know. I sensed a little bitterness about the fact that he was still behind bars while Frankie was free to commit more crimes."

We were all quiet for a minute while the waitress set down our drinks.

"How'd your check-up go this morning?" Alex asked Mike.

"He was late," Liz spoke up. "But he'll live."

"I said I was sorry for that," Mike told her sheepishly. "We overslept."

"I can't imagine why," Liz said sarcastically. "You guys probably haven't had a full night's sleep in a week, have you?"

"Sounds about right," Carolyn said. "Anyway, Mike has to take it easy for a few more days. Rodgers says no excessive physical activity."

"I'm fine," he insisted. He leaned in and whispered in her ear something that sounded like, _you didn't mind the physical activity last night_.

"We hadn't talked to Liz then," she replied, although she didn't seem worried about keeping her voice down. And then she pinned him with a look.

"No chasing suspects," she told him. She looked around the table at the rest of us. "He's not getting as much oxygen as he should. So if Frankie takes off running, then one of us has to catch him."

Mike leaned back in his chair and rolled his eyes. I knew he was frustrated with the limited-duty diagnosis, but it was understandable. And I didn't think for a second it would stop him from doing whatever needed to be done.

"So this thing is going to be in the paper tomorrow, right?" I asked Ross.

"Front page news," he replied. "I called in a favor from a friend at the Post. He's running a big article on it."

"Oh, that's just great," Alex muttered. "I need to call my parents before that thing hits the stands."

"I would tell them to stay away," I suggested. "I know they'll want to be there, but…"

"I know. They'll be fine with it once I tell them it's just a set-up."

"Alex, we're using this as a set-up because it's convenient, but you earned that medal. It doesn't have an asterisk beside it," Ross said. She just shrugged and took a drink. I knew it still embarrassed her to be recognized for what she'd done.

"Hey, did you guys try texting Candi from Stoat's cell?" Mike asked suddenly.

"She didn't reply. She must have figured that we had it. I tried texting dirty to her and everything," Alex said.

"You were sexting?" Mike asked, a slow grin spreading across his face.

"I was trying to get her to respond," she countered. "Oh, and don't even try to pretend that you've never done it."

Alex had just been teasing him, so I was really surprised to see Carolyn blush at the mention of the sexting.

"Anything you want to share?" I asked her, taking the opportunity to keep things light.

We were hitting dead end after dead end, and it was obvious that this thing was going to come to a head on Thursday. It wasn't going to do any of us any good if we were on pins and needles until then.

We could afford to relax a little. We hadn't been followed today. We were in a restaurant that we hadn't been to in months. There was no way Frankie was on our tail right now, so we had to get rid of some of the tension.

"I'll share my phone if you'll share yours," she countered smartly.

And she got me with that one. My mind flashed to any one of dozens of dirty messages I had sent to Alex recently.

I was saved from formulating a reply by Mike's ringing phone. He pulled it out and gave it a quick glance.

"It's Shane O'Connor."

"The Shane O'Connor?" Liz asked with surprise. "The Irish mob boss out of Boston?"

I nodded and then watched Mike intently while he spoke with O'Connor.

"Should I ask why he has Mike's cell phone number?" she whispered. Ross patted her on the arm and shook his head.

"It's a long story," he told her.

"What is it?" I asked when Mike hung up.

"Frankie's asking for help. It seems he's frustrated that he can't find his target," he told us with a wry grin. "He's been propositioning some of the Westies. He wants them to help him find you," he added with a nod to Alex. "They reported it back to O'Connor."

"Propositioning with what?" Ross asked.

"Twenty percent of the contract, which is apparently going to be twenty grand."

"Stoat is willing to pay a hundred grand to have me killed?" Alex asked in surprise, and I was right there with her on that. That was a lot of damn money.

She got quiet after Mike's answering nod. See, this was why I didn't like sitting in chairs instead of a booth. I couldn't get as close to Alex as I would've liked. In a booth, I could feel her leg pressed against mine. I liked how I could feel her muscles tighten or relax based on the topic of conversation. I missed that link with her. I wanted to know what was going through her mind at a time like this.

So instead, I put my hand on the table, palm up. She looked at me and I could see the worry in her eyes, but she put her hand in mine. And our connection was back.

"A hundred grand is a lot to pay for a hit," Ross said. His gaze was focused on our clasped hands for a moment, but then he brought his eyes up to mine. He seemed to be finally coming around to the idea that our relationship wasn't a shot at him.

"The stripping business must pay well," Liz commented calmly.

"Stripping and drugs," Carolyn remarked. "Never discount the value of a nice little side business of coke dealing."

"So what did O'Connor say?" I asked Mike.

"He's ordered everyone to stay clear of it."

"So if Frankie's getting desperate enough to call his former enemies…" I began.

"Then it sounds like the article in the paper is going to be perfect timing," Alex finished.

---------

Two hours later, we left the restaurant and headed for the hotel. Alex decided to call her dad on the way, so she actually handed me the keys.

She put him on speaker phone, but didn't mention it to him and I just kept quiet.

"Alex, I'm glad you called," he said. "I've been wanting to talk to you, but I know how busy you are."

"What's going on?" she asked him. As she talked to him, she scooted across the seat and snuggled up against me.

"Your mother and I felt bad about dinner the other night."

"Dad," she interrupted. "It's fine. Really."

"No, we shouldn't have brought up Joe in front of Bobby. That was rude."

She sighed heavily and ran her free hand along my thigh.

"It's not that it was rude," she countered quietly. "It's that you had misinformation."

"Honey, I understand that you don't want Bobby to feel threatened by Joe's memory. It's only natural that you would downplay the feelings that you had for him."

She sat up quickly at that remark, and I knew she was getting mad. This conversation was going out of control in a hurry. I reached across and grabbed her hand.

_It's okay_, I mouthed. I held her gaze for as long as I dared while driving. I didn't want her to think his comment had bothered me.

"Dad, I called to tell you that there's going to be an article in tomorrow's paper about me. I'm going to be receiving a medal on Thursday."

"Honey, that's great!"

"It's not a big deal. Really. We're using it as a set-up to catch this guy…"

"It's not for real?"

"It is," she admitted. "But it would probably be a good idea if you don't come."

"You don't want me there?"

And the conversation went downhill from there. Her dad was a nice guy, really. But he didn't understand Alex. Maybe he had at one time. Maybe that was what was frustrating for both of them. But somewhere along the line, she had changed.

"You okay?" I asked her as we walked through the lobby of the hotel. Their conversation had lasted the entire drive.

"I'm fine. I'm sorry for the things that he said. You know it's not true."

"About Joe?"

"Yeah. I'm not downplaying my feelings. I've been honest with you."

"I never doubted you for a second," I assured her as we got on the elevator.

"Really?" she asked in surprise. And I didn't blame her. I was a little surprised myself.

"Really," I replied as I pulled her up against me. She leaned into me, resting fully against my chest.

"Are you sure? Because I thought maybe I should show you exactly how it is that I feel about you," she said quietly as she ran her hands across my backside. "You know, just so there was no question."

"Are you coming on to me?" I asked her innocently. She gave me a beautiful smile, and I was glad that she had relaxed.

The elevator opened at our floor. She backed away from me slowly, keeping her hands in mine, and I followed her off the elevator.

"Maybe," she replied coyly. "Is it working?"

"Always."

I quickly swiped the keycard and let us into the room before locking up behind us. Because I'm a little bit paranoid, I made a quick check of the suite just to be sure that we were alone, but then I shook off detective-mode.

"I was thinking about making use of the tub," Alex told me.

She said this in a casual tone, as though her words weren't going to send me into overdrive.

She wandered in the direction of the bathroom, shedding clothes as she went. I heard the water turn on, and then she came back into the main room.

I was rooted to the spot. It didn't seem to matter how many times I had seen her naked. I always wanted to take a moment to appreciate the sight.

"It looks plenty big enough for two," she offered.

"Are you coming?" she asked when I still didn't move.

"I'm trying to make sure I'm not dreaming," I admitted with a smile. "This is straight out of one of my favorite fantasies."

She approached me and slowly began removing my clothes. I shut my eyes and stood still, enjoying her seduction.

"You're not dreaming. But tell me about your fantasy. I'll make it come true."

TBC...


	26. Chapter 26

**Alex POV**

* * *

Wednesday came and went. I'm happy to say that we spent a large portion of the day in the bed.

It was almost like a honeymoon.

We did go out for a little while to search for a new place to live, but we didn't find anything good. I had a feeling that good, affordable housing in Manhattan was going to be hard to come by.

Wednesday evening, Bobby talked to Mike on the phone. He and Carolyn had worked from their office for most of the day. There was no further word from O'Connor and no sign of Frankie.

The article in the paper was as expected. Insanely complimentary. It was as though no one else in the world, ever, had done something as unique as provide CPR. The media really does love making heroes. And I knew that Ross had asked for it to be pumped up so that we could be sure Frankie saw it, but still…

Bobby and I got into bed fairly early Wednesday night. He wrapped his arms around me and we lay there together in silence. We didn't need to say anything because each of us knew what the other was thinking.

Tomorrow was going to suck.

"We could go back to Mexico," I suggested quietly. I wanted Bobby to quit thinking about the possibility of me getting shot tomorrow. Hell, I wanted to quit thinking about that possibility, too. "Or Florida. We could go to Key West."

"What about Antigua? Turks and Caicos?" he countered softly. He ran his hand along my arm in a soothing motion.

"Or we could go to Italy."

"Then you'd be around thousands of men who speak Italian," he replied. I could tell by his voice that he was smiling. "Uh uh. I know how much that turns you on. I'm going to be the only man speaking Italian to you."

"Where's the fun in that?" I teased back.

"You want fun?" he asked. He quickly turned us over so that I was on my back, pinned underneath him. _Not a bad place to be_.

"What are you going to do now?" I taunted encouragingly. His eyes held mine, and for a moment I was lost. He had that spark in his eyes again and I loved knowing that I was the one to put it there.

I had known for years that Bobby was the man for me. Even when he was falling apart, even when I wasn't sure if he would ever be put back together again, I still wanted him.

And seeing him now, confident and whole…it took my breath away.

And the fact that he was _mine_ just never ceased to amaze me.

He had felt like_ he_ wasn't good enough? That was just ridiculous. _I_ had baggage. _I_ had issues. _I_ wasn't good enough.

He could have any woman he wanted. How did I get lucky enough to be the one?

"Ti desidero disperatamente," he whispered. Waves of desire shot through me at his words and his tone. I knew enough to recognize the word 'want'. I could fill in the blanks.

He grasped both of my wrists with one of his hands and held them in place against the pillows above my head.

Oh yeah, I was the lucky one. He was just the sexiest man ever.

"Facciamo l'amore," he said, his lips hovering over mine. I lifted my head up to close the distance, but he kept just out of my reach.

"Stop teasing," I warned, although I loved it. He was exuding confidence, and I was...extremely aroused.

He moved his mouth along my body, keeping it close enough for me to feel his breath, but never quite touching the skin.

"Maybe I'm waiting for you to tell me what you want," he said in a low gravelly tone. "Maybe I want you to beg."

"I don't beg," I lied, damn near close to begging already.

I couldn't get enough of him and I had no doubt that before long I'd be doing anything he wanted me to.

But I was going to hold out as long as I could first.

"Alex," he admonished lightly, his mouth and one free hand still roaming everywhere at once. "We both know that's not true."

"There's no ice in this room," I challenged with false bravado. But to be honest, I was on the edge already. It wasn't going to take much.

"You think that's the only way I can get you to beg?"

"I…um...I…"

"That's what I thought," he said smugly after my ineloquent attempt at speech.

Every nerve ending was on alert as he continued his assault on my senses. The scraping of his whiskers, the gentle tease of his fingers or tongue, the sound of his rumbling voice…I couldn't take it any more.

"Please," I said finally. "Bobby, please."

-------

Afterward, I took a moment to think about myself.

I never used to be this woman. How did he do that to me? How did he make me so…frantic, so…damn desperate that I wanted nothing else but him.

And why was I so okay with that?

"What's the matter?" he asked, still breathing heavily from the exertion of our marathon session.

"I just can't believe that I'm so…"

"Willing to hand over control?"

"Yeah. And so needy, and so…I don't know," I admitted on a sigh.

"Is that a bad thing?" he asked cautiously.

"No. No, I've just never been this way before, not with anyone. But it's a good thing, Bobby. That's how much I trust you, how much I love you. I can completely let go with you in ways I've never done before."

I felt his smile against the top of my head as he held me close. I knew that my words were boosting his ego even more than my physical response to him earlier. But that was fine. It was the truth.

"I am the luckiest man alive," he replied softly.

"That's funny. I was thinking the same thing a little bit ago."

"That I'm a lucky guy?" he joked.

"That _I'm_ the lucky one," I insisted. "People think it's you. Even _you_ think it's you. But everyone has it wrong. It's me."

**

* * *

**

Logan POV

"I had hoped O'Connor would call," I commented as we got ready for bed.

Wednesday had been a bitch of a day, but only because we were both nervous about Thursday. Frankly, it scared the shit out of me to know that Alex was going to be at this ceremony with a bull's eye on her back.

"You knew he wouldn't," Carolyn replied quietly. She slipped out of her blouse, and I stopped what I was doing so that I could watch her. She had an understated sexuality about her that tended to render me speechless.

"Right?" she asked when I didn't respond. "Frankie wasn't gong to risk going to the Westies again. They're not friends. He just hoped someone would jump at the chance for twenty grand."

"Yeah, I know," I admitted. "I just wanted something. I wanted us to have the edge tomorrow."

"We do have the edge. We know he's coming. He doesn't know that we know he's coming," she said logically. And then she stepped out of her pants.

"Carolyn," I said, although I wasn't sure what I wanted to say. I didn't like feeling emotional. I didn't like feeling helpless. I didn't like being scared. And I was all of those things right now.

She caught my eye and I tried to convey everything I was thinking even though I didn't say a word.

It worked.

She crossed the room and wrapped her arms around me.

"We're going to get him," she assured me. "We'll find him and we'll get him. I promise."

"I don't know why this is freaking me out so much," I told her. She worked her hands under my shirt and pressed her palms against my back.

"Because you're scared for her. You love her," she said. I tensed slightly, thinking that maybe she was misreading things again, but then she continued. "I do, too. We're family."

"That's funny. That's what she said."

"Alex said we're family?"

"Yeah."

"Well, she's a smart woman."

"So are you," I whispered, holding her even tighter. "I love you so much. Let's get through this thing tomorrow morning, and then go find Judge Whitmore."

"You want to get married tomorrow? On Christmas Eve?"

"Sure, why not?"

"There's no reason why not. It's a great idea," she agreed. "And…"

Whatever she was getting ready to say was drowned out by the sound of a barrage of bullets.

It was coming from downstairs.

I grabbed my gun off of the nightstand where I had just placed it minutes before and took off running.

"Call it in," I called back over my shoulder, although I had no doubt that she was probably dialing before the words were out of my mouth.

From the sound of it, the shots had been fired from out front, probably through the front door. Whether or not the assailant had come into the home after firing the shots remained to be seen.

I eased down the stairs slowly, allowing my eyes to adjust to the darkness.

The living room appeared to be empty. As I made my way through to the kitchen, Carolyn caught up to me. She'd thrown on some clothes, and she had her weapon at the ready.

I made eye contact with her and she pointed that she was going to the foyer. We split up and finished searching the house and then met back up in the living room.

"Cops on the way?" I asked her once we were sure the place was empty. She nodded and I hustled on through to the foyer.

The door was open from the force of the shots. It looked like about ten slugs had gone through the front door and were lodged in the opposite wall.

I stepped out onto the front porch and looked around. I knew that under the porch light it was as if I was standing in a spotlight but I didn't care. I was so pissed that I couldn't hardly think straight.

My eyes searched the darkness and I thought I saw movement. I took off.

"Mike!" Carolyn whispered loudly. I knew what she was going to say. _No running_. Please. The man had just shot up our home. Pneumonia was the last thing on my mind.

"Wait for the cops," she told me.

"I am a cop," I replied without thought. I'd been one for so damn long that it was ingrained in me. Besides, if I waited, he'd be long gone.

I trotted down the steps and over to the sidewalk, still watching intently in the direction from which I had seen the movement.

And then I saw it again. I started full-on running.

I heard footsteps behind me and I knew Carolyn was on my heels. And that was fine. It was kind of nice having a wife like her. She was instant back-up.

The figure ahead of me turned the corner two blocks up.

"Did you see that?" I rasped out, my breath short already.

"He went right," she replied. "I'm going to cut over here. Keep going!"

I didn't want to split up with her, but it was the right thing to do. If she could get around that block and head him off, we could catch him.

I moved my legs as fast as they would go, but my lungs were on fire. The only thing that kept me going was the idea that Carolyn might have run into Frankie by now.

No such luck, though.

I made the right, following in the assailant's footsteps and then headed down that street. After another block, I ran into Carolyn.

"Nothing?" I wheezed.

"No. He must have cut up an alley."

"Shit!"

"Mike, let's go back. You don't sound good."

"I'm fine," I insisted, although I bent over at the waist in an effort to catch my breath. I couldn't seem to get a good one in, and I was getting light-headed.

"Stand up and hold your arms over your head," she instructed. I did as she said, and after another minute or so, I finally felt like I was getting oxygen.

"Damn, Mike, it hasn't even been twelve hours since Liz told you not to do any running," she said as we walked back to our house.

"What was I supposed to do? Just let him go?"

"Yeah, if only you knew anyone else who used to be a cop," she said smartly. "You could have just let me go."

"Over my dead body."

"It will be, if you keep that up."

"Carolyn…"

She took a deep sigh and stopped on the sidewalk, putting her hand on my arm to get me to stop as well.

"I'm sorry. You scared me, that's all. I don't mean to be a bitch."

"Sweetheart," I said as I threw my arm across her shoulders. "You are many things. A bitch is not one of them."

We continued toward the house, and when we got there, we finally heard approaching sirens. We sat down on the front porch and waited for the cops.

"It's got to be Frankie," I said. "He knows where we live. I guess he's killing a little time before the showdown tomorrow morning."

"Maybe he's hoping to keep us from showing up at the ceremony," she suggested. "He had to know it was unlikely that he would hit anyone."

"Whatever he was hoping, he's going to get more than he bargained for," I said heatedly. My face was hot and my chest hurt and I was just pissed. And thinking about what might've happened…

"I'm going to kill him," I told her matter-of-factly.

She didn't reply, but simply leaned her head against my shoulder. I couldn't stop my mind from running through the possibilities.

What if we had still been downstairs? What about the night before last when I stood in the foyer while Carolyn had undressed me?

We would've both been dead.

TBC...


	27. Chapter 27

**Ross POV**

* * *

I was at Logan's house until nearly midnight. Eleven .223 bullets were pulled out of their wall.

Needless to say, they checked into a hotel.

I had no idea if it was the same one as the Gorens or not. They didn't tell me and I didn't ask. I didn't need to know. I just wanted them to be someplace safe.

And truth be told, I was starting to really feel bad for them. All four of them. They just couldn't catch a break.

Liz was in the bed when I got home, but she was still awake.

"Everything okay?" she asked.

"As well as can be expected," I told her as I got ready for bed.

"What happened?"

"Somebody shot up their front door."

"Somebody?"

"Probably Frankie Moretti."

"Nobody got hurt, though," she said, more as a statement than a question.

"Logan's breathing sounded like a freight train, but other than that, and being extremely pissed off, they're both fine," I said, climbing into the bed. I reached for her, but she sat up quickly. The concern was written all over her face.

"Why was he breathing heavy?"

"He's fine, Liz. He chased after the suspect for a few blocks."

"He ran?" she asked loudly, getting all the way up and out of the bed. "I told him not to do that."

"He's a grown man," I replied with a shrug.

"With wet lungs. It's twenty degrees outside. It would be hard enough for a healthy person to catch a good breath, much less someone who's been through what he has. Damn it, Danny."

"I wasn't there," I said in defense of myself. "Don't yell at me. And he's fine, I promise. Carolyn's keeping an eye on him."

"Did you tell her to call if they needed to?"

"I did, actually." And I had. He really had sounded bad. I was sugar-coating it by saying he sounded like a freight train. "Come back to bed."

"I'm going with you in the morning," she said adamantly, still standing in the middle of the room.

"To the ceremony?"

"Yes. You thought I wouldn't?"

"I hadn't given it any thought at all. But it has the potential for being dangerous," I said needlessly, as if she hadn't been in on all of our discussions lately.

"They're our friends. Or _my_ friends anyway," she amended. _Ouch_. "I would go to see Alex get her medal, even if all of this other stuff wasn't happening."

"You're right," I agreed quickly. "I didn't think of it that way. But you have to listen to me."

"What do you mean?" she asked cautiously.

"I mean, if I find a good spot for you to stand, I need you to stay where I put you. I don't want you getting caught in the crossfire."

She stood there with her hands on her hips, staring at me. I knew she was having a mental debate as to whether or not to fight me on this issue. She damn near fought me on every issue, especially when it came to those four, so I was completely taken aback when she nodded and climbed into the bed.

"So you will?" I asked carefully. I didn't want to start a fight, but I also didn't want her to show up there tomorrow and then not listen to me. We needed to air that out now.

"I will. But if someone gets hurt, all bets are off," she told me as she finally turned toward me. The temperature in the room just got a few degrees warmer.

"They're really good people, aren't they?" I asked somewhat rhetorically. "I think I'm figuring that out."

"They're honest. They work hard. And they love each other very much. They all love each other. It's a throw-together family, but sometimes that's the best kind."

"I should have gone to their wedding."

"Yes. You should have. Although I guess you weren't really invited."

"Thanks for reminding me."

"I wasn't invited either. I just ended up being in the right place at the right time. But I'm glad I was. It was beautiful. If you'd seen it, it would have changed your whole perspective."

"On them?"

"On them. On love in general."

"Are you turning into a romantic on me?"

"Would it do me any good?" _Ouch again_. She was hitting below the belt now. But for some strange reason, her comment made me think about something else.

"A couple of months ago…" I began, and then I hesitated. Did I want to know the answer? Would it make me hate him again? Because although I would never admit it out loud, I did feel a little bit of jealousy toward the man.

"Yeah?"

"When you had to look at those photos. There were pictures of them on the data stick, weren't there?"

"Them?" she repeated dumbly. And I had my answer. Liz is anything but dumb.

"You saw pictures of Goren. And Alex."

She gave me a long-suffering sigh and rolled onto her back again before she replied.

"And Mike and Carolyn. Yeah, I did."

And then I realized that _I'd_ seen a picture of Goren and Alex. And I'd been naïve enough to think it was another woman. Why hadn't that though occurred to me once I found out about the two of them?

But really, what did it matter?

In a few weeks, I wasn't going to be their boss any more.

And I'd done Goren a serious injustice over the past several years. I was trying to make up for it somewhat now, but it didn't need to only be about that. Liz liked them. They were good people. If they weren't working for me then there was no reason to keep them at arm's length anymore.

"Does that bother you?" she asked me.

Did it bother me that she'd looked at the pictures?

It did a little, yes. I didn't want her thinking about either of them when she was with me.

"You know I look at naked people all day long," she added. "Besides, they weren't actually naked. I mean, they _were_, but it's not like I could really see anything."

"Good, because the people you work with are dead, so it's not the same. You're talking about our friends now."

She smiled at me, a big come-hither smile, and I had to take a moment and think back over what I'd said.

_Our friends_.

"I love _you_, Danny. Don't be jealous of Bobby or Mike. They have their own wives, essentially."

"Essentially?"

"Well, Mike and Carolyn aren't officially married yet, but they're going to finish the job pretty soon, from what I understand. They got their license on Monday."

"Tell me when it is," I said on a sigh. "We'll go together."

* * *

Carolyn POV -

We checked into the Roosevelt.

We knew that was where Bobby and Alex were staying, so we decided that since we had to be in a hotel, it may as well be the same one. It might prove useful to have all of us in one location.

Although, I wasn't going to call them. I didn't want them to know what had happened tonight. Not yet anyway.

I had no doubt that they were nervous enough about tomorrow without adding fuel to the fire. Telling them tonight wouldn't change anything. We could fill them in when we saw them in the morning.

I checked in under Liz's name just as a precaution. Frankie didn't know her.

Not that I thought for one second that he would spend the amount of time it would take to call around to New York hotels to see if anyone was registered under mine or Mike's name, but still…there was no harm in using an alias.

I finished getting us registered while Mike sprawled on a chair in the expansive lobby. I felt like I could hear his breathing from across the room, although that was probably an exaggeration. I think I was just tuned in to the sound.

I got the keycard and then went to where he sat.

"It's a good thing we're not trying to be stealthy," I teased, although in truth I was pretty worried about him.

"I'll be fine. I just need a few more minutes."

"You need an oxygen tank," I countered. "If you're not better in half an hour, I'm calling Rodgers and having her meet us at the morgue."

"Yeah, because that'll make me feel better," he said with his typical sarcasm.

"She's got oxygen there," I reminded him. I held out my hand to him. He took it and got up out of the chair. "She used it for Alex, remember?"

"I know. And that's fine. But I'll be better by then."

We went to the elevators and waited as it came down from the tenth floor.

"I wonder what name they used," he mused.

"Bobby and Alex?"

"Yeah."

"Bruce Wayne?" I teased.

"Ha! You're probably right. I'm going to have to go back to the guy at the front desk and see if there's a Bruce Wayne registered here."

He started to turn around, but the elevator showed up and I pushed him onto it.

"We'll just ask them tomorrow," I told him. "Right now, we're going to the room and I'm going to fix you a cup of coffee."

"Coffee? It's midnight."

"It'll help open up your airways."

"I'll be up for hours," he complained. I swear, sometimes men are like children.

"I'll keep you entertained," I told him. He perked up immediately.

"You will?"

"Of course," I assured him. I stepped up close to him and put my arms around his waist. I rested my head lightly against his chest. He was still working hard to take good breaths. "I think we were in the middle of marriage talk when we were so rudely interrupted earlier."

"Uh huh," he said softly, bringing his hands up to the back of my neck so that he could run his fingers through my hair.

"So tomorrow?" I asked as we got off on our floor.

"Absolutely."

We got in the room and tossed our bags on the dresser.

"This place is great," I said. "We should just stay here for a few days."

"You want to spend Christmas in a hotel?" he asked as he flopped across the bed.

"It's not like we have a tree at home. And it'll probably take awhile to get someone out there to fix that door. Monday, I'm betting."

"Hotel it is, then," he agreed.

He got up off of the bed and went to the window. He pulled the drapes back to look at the view.

"Come here."

"I'm going to get the coffee started."

"Come here," he said again, holding out his hand to me. I went to the window and took his hand. He wrapped his arms around my waist, keeping my back to his front.

"What's up?"

"You know I'm not romantic, right?"

"Mike. What's going on?"

"I just…I wanted to…I was going to…"

He kept stopping and starting so much that I had no idea what he was trying to say. I turned around so that I could face him and that was when I saw it. He held out his hand between us, and in it was a ring. An engagement ring.

"Mike," I began, and then I was unexpectedly thrown by the urge to cry. I took a couple of deep breaths and then continued. "You didn't need to do this. I'm fine with the wedding bands," I said. And then I elaborated, "I _l__ove_ the wedding bands."

"I know you do," he said in a husky voice. "But I wanted to do this for you. We kind of did this whole thing backwards. I mean, we did the ceremony and then the bands, and then the license. So now we're doing the engagement ring. It's the natural progression. Sort of," he added with a smile.

My heart melted. He could say all he wanted to that he wasn't a romantic, but damn. He had managed to jewelry shop during a time when our lives were in complete turmoil.

"I know it's not traditional," he continued. "But neither are we, so…I don't know. It reminded me of you. If you don't like it…"

"I love it," I told him as I held out my hand so that he could slide the ring into place. "I love you," I added, standing up on my toes to kiss him. I put both of my hands on the sides of his face.

And although I was overwhelmed with my feelings for him, I noticed something else.

His face was hot. I pulled back from him and ran my hand across his forehead.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"You're burning up. I'm calling Rodgers."

TBC...


	28. Chapter 28

**Logan POV**

* * *

Apparently almost drowning wasn't enough. No, not for me. I had to add pneumonia on top of that. As if I didn't have enough going on in my life right now.

Carolyn called Liz, but when she told her about the fever, Liz insisted on meeting us at the hospital. She decided that I was in need of a little more traditional care.

So we went to Lenox Hill.

And thanks to the combined bossiness of Liz and Carolyn, I was fast-tracked, so only an hour after our arrival, I was given the astute diagnosis of pneumonia.

Hell, I already knew that.

But I did get a shot in the ass for my trouble, along with a prescription for a course of antibiotics.

The doctor wanted to admit me for twenty-four hours of IV antibiotics and monitoring, but I put my foot down. And fortunately for me, Carolyn and Liz agreed with me.

Otherwise I have no doubt I'd be in a gown with a needle in my arm.

"Thanks for meeting us here, Liz. I really appreciate it," Carolyn told Rodgers as we left the hospital.

"I'm just glad you called. Try to get a little rest. Let me know if the fever gets worse."

"I will. We'll see you in the morning. Or, in a few hours I guess."

"I'll be there," Rodgers said as she got into her car. She stuck her head back out and smiled at me. "And Mike…no running, okay? I don't want you anywhere but in a bed."

"Is that an invitation, Doc?" I asked. Hey, sick or not, that was too easy. I couldn't pass it up.

She let out a heavy sigh and rolled her eyes.

"He's all yours," she said to Carolyn.

"You hear that, babe? I'm all yours," I told Carolyn as Rodgers pulled away.

"Lucky me," she replied with a grin. "Feeling any better?"

"My chest feels better. But now my ass is sore."

She chuckled at me as we climbed in the car. It had been another hell of a day. And now it was after two in the morning. By the time we filled my prescription, got to the hotel and into the bed, we'd have about four hours to get some sleep. It wasn't great, but I'd take it.

---------

The pharmacy took forever, so it turned out to be more like three hours of sleep. But that was still okay. Sleep deprived or not, I was feeling a lot better.

"You don't look quite so shitty this morning," Carolyn said when I rolled out of the bed at seven. She was already up and showered. But not dressed.

"Is that any way to talk to your husband on our wedding day?" I asked her as I pulled her into a hug.

"Hmmm…" she hummed. "I like the sound of that."

I held her for a few minutes, but then she pulled away from me. She put her hand against my forehead. I guess the fever was gone because she looked pleased. I smiled at her because hey…if she was happy, I was happy.

"We don't have a lot of time," she told me as she picked up her blouse. "You need to get in the shower and I need to get dressed."

"I can be quick," I promised as I reached for her again.

"Uh uh. I'm not doing anything with you that's going to make you start breathing heavy again."

"Oh, come on," I persuaded. I lowered my voice and leaned in closer to her. "I'll let you do all the work."

"Is that supposed to entice me?" she asked on a laugh.

"Maybe."

"Okay, so it does," she admitted with a grin. "But we really don't have time. I just talked to Alex and they're going to meet us in the lobby in thirty minutes."

At my disheartened look, she reached up and gave me a searing kiss.

"Later, I promise."

We met Goren and Alex in the lobby as scheduled. Evidently, Carolyn hadn't filled them in on any details because as soon as they saw us, they immediately pounced.

"So what happened?" Alex questioned.

"What, no pleasantries this morning? No 'hi, how's it going'?" I teased. Alex ignored me and turned to Carolyn.

"There might have been an incident last night," Carolyn admitted.

"What kind of incident?" Alex wanted to know. She spoke at the exact same time as Goren, who asked, "And you didn't call us?"

"Sheesh, guys. One at a time," I said, although I was touched by their concern.

"There wasn't anything you could've done," Carolyn spoke up. "Someone, most likely Frankie, fired some shots through our front door last night at around ten o'clock."

"And obviously, we're fine," she added. "We chased him, but he got away. So then we figured we would check into this place."

"Who chased?" Alex asked. "I know you weren't out there running after Liz told you not to," she said to me. I just shrugged.

"And then?" Goren encouraged with a raise of his eyebrow.

"And then what? What is this, the Spanish Inquisition?"

I made the joke to stall them, but I was really wondering how in the hell Goren knew there was any _'and then'_.

"What else happened?"

At my continued silence, Alex spoke up.

"You two obviously didn't get much sleep. Even if you didn't check in until after midnight, you could've gotten a good six hours in. You look like you got about half of that. And you," she added, looking pointedly at me. "You look like shit."

"Thank you," I replied with a grin. "That seems to be the consensus today."

"Pneumonia," Carolyn admitted. "We had to make a quick trip to the ER last night."

"I'm fine," I insisted before anyone could say anything else. "Can we go now? I'm kind of anxious to meet up with Frankie again. I'd like to have a little chat with him."

**

* * *

**

Bobby POV

I dreaded this morning, everything about it.

Of course, I'd always hated stuffy events like this that involved a lot of politics and ass-kissing, but obviously today was going to be a million times worse.

Today, Frankie was going to try to kill Alex. Or so we thought. If he didn't make an attempt today, then we were back to square one since all of our efforts to find him had come up short.

So it was kind of a lose-lose thing.

We arrived at the courthouse and parked the car.

Ross had suggested to the commissioner that we hold the ceremony on the front steps. Since it was Christmas Eve, the courthouse would only be open for half a day, and it was running a skeleton crew at best. But security and metal detectors would help keep the interior a safe place to gather prior to the ceremony.

And then we could move outside for the actual event. The overhang would limit the visibility from a long-distance vantage point, forcing anyone interested in setting up for a shot to be contained to about a two-block segment directly across the street. And yet it was still outside, so there was no security that might deter someone with a rifle.

But for now, we were headed for the back entrance. No sense in being overly visible until we were prepared. This way, we were mostly protected by the parking garage until the last few seconds.

When we got inside, we were very surprised to see Jimmy Deakins talking to Ross and Rodgers. I felt a little bad that I hadn't talked to him in awhile. Not just since before the wedding, but since before Alex and I had even gotten together. Although I had to figure that Mike had probably kept him apprised.

"Captain!" Alex said pleasantly. I knew she'd always been fond of him, and so was I. He'd always treated us fairly.

"Alex," he replied, pulling her into a hug. "It's Jimmy now, remember? And I hear you won't be calling anyone Captain after a few more weeks."

"That's right," she told him with a smile. He then turned to me and gave me a hug as well.

"Congratulations. Both of you," he said. "I'll try not to be upset that I wasn't invited to the wedding."

"It wasn't really…"

"I know. I'm kidding. But I am happy for you."

"Thank you."

"It took you long enough," he muttered before he turned to shake Mike's hand. "How's the new job?" he asked him.

"The boss is a tyrant, but I'm used to that," he replied with a smile. "Good to see you, Jimmy. But I hope you know this isn't going to be all fun and games."

"I heard. I'm up to speed. Thought you could use an extra set of eyes."

"Always," Mike agreed. He and Carolyn and Jimmy walked further down the hall. Ross and Rodgers were chatting with the commissioner, and several other police captains were hanging around the lobby. I couldn't remember the last time I'd seen this much brass in one room.

We still had about forty minutes before the ceremony was scheduled to begin, but the place was filling up already. There were a lot of people in the department that held Alex in high regard, and they all wanted to see her receive her commendation.

At that realization, another wave of pride went through me.

The back door opened and Peter Lyons came in. It took all of my willpower to keep from putting my arm around Alex in a display of possession. He smiled and waved in our direction, but he kept his eyes on her.

"Alexandra!" he called out as he approached. I did an internal eye roll at his use of her full name. I knew she hated that. "Congratulations on the medal."

"Thank you," she replied modestly. And then she took my hand. I looked down at her in surprise, but she just gave Peter a smile and said, "Could you excuse us for a minute please?"

"Sure. It's good to see you again," he said with disappointment. "Detective Goren," he added to me with a nod.

I nodded back at him and then followed Alex out of the main lobby. We didn't talk, but just kept walking until we rounded a corner near the back stairwell.

"What are we doing?" I asked her, unable to stop from smiling.

"I just wanted to be alone with you for a minute," she admitted.

"Are you okay?" I asked. It wasn't like her to be nervous, although I knew she had to be. "There are a lot of people here watching your back. And you know I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

"I know. I'm fine. I just…needed to breathe for a minute before we start this dog and pony show."

"Okay," I agreed. I held my arms open and she stepped into them. I felt her take a deep breath and relax against me.

"Mike and Carolyn are going to get married this afternoon," she said, not moving from her position against my chest.

"That sounds good," I murmured.

"And then we need to go to my mom and dad's. It'll save us from having to go tomorrow if we have dinner with them tonight."

"We can go tonight and tomorrow. Whatever you want to do."

"I just want to get out of here. I want to be somewhere else, alone with you. Anywhere but here."

"We can do that, too. I can smuggle you out the back door."

She chuckled a little at that, which was what I'd been hoping for.

"How do you plan on managing that?"

"Well, I haven't really worked out the details yet…"

"I love you," she said suddenly. And the urgency in her voice scared me. Did she think something was going to happen to her?

"Don't say that now. Tell me later."

"Bobby…"

"Tell me later," I insisted. I tilted her head up so that I could look into her eyes. I had thought I might see fear in them, but I didn't. She was holding it together.

"After the ceremony," I continued. "Tell me then. After we catch Frankie."

She nodded and gave me a quick kiss before stepping away from me.

"We'd better get back," I said.

"Okay. I'm going to run into the bathroom. I'll meet you in the lobby."

I gave her hand a squeeze and then went down the hall as she slipped into the ladies' room.

As I entered the lobby, I saw Ross speaking to a security guard. He turned to me with a worried look on his face.

"Where's Alex?" he asked. My heart started pounding.

"Bathroom," I replied, already turning around to go back in that direction. Ross was right beside me, and we started jogging even though I didn't know why.

"Why? What's going on?" I asked, struggling to keep calm when on the inside, I was in a full-blown panic.

"One of the cleaning crew. We just found him dead in a dumpster a few blocks away. His uniform and ID badge were missing."

_Oh shit_. That ID would get anyone past security. Frankie could be in the building.

"Alex!" I shouted as we approached the restroom door. I didn't hesitate, but instead went bursting through it.

The room was empty.

She was gone.

TBC...


	29. Chapter 29

**Alex POV**

* * *

I stepped into the sanctity of the ladies' room and let out a long breath.

Surprisingly though, now I wished I was still with Bobby. I had mistakenly thought that I needed a minute to myself. Apparently I didn't need that anymore. I just needed him.

But since I was here, I took a quick look at myself in the mirror. I was getting ready to have flashbulbs going off in my face, so I may as well be presentable.

The door opened as I turned from the sinks to leave. I expected Carolyn or Liz, but instead, I got Frankie.

"Detective Alexandra Eames of the NYPD," he said, a slow smile spreading across his face.

I swiftly reached for my weapon, but he shook his head and held up his hand to show me what he had.

It was a detonator. My heart sank.

"Give me the gun. Come with me quietly, and I'll just kill you," he said. "If you put up a fuss, I'll blow the whole damn building."

It was an easy decision to make. I met him at the door and handed over my weapon. He slid the detonator into his pocket and held onto my gun.

He took a quick peek outside to check the hall, and then I followed him out of the bathroom and down the hall in the same direction from which Bobby and I had just come.

"That was a real special moment," he told me sarcastically as he pulled me along by the elbow. "For a minute there, I thought you guys were going to come into the stairwell with me. Figured you two for a couple of bloodhounds."

Shit, he must have been hiding right behind the door where we'd been standing.

"We are," I said calmly. "You're not going to get out of here. Do you know how many cops are in this building?"

"The same amount that was in here a little while ago when I waltzed through the front door. It's amazing how much a baseball cap and a work uniform can alter someone's appearance."

We rounded the last turn before the stairwell, and the door came open. It was Peter.

"Alexandra, there you – "

And the shot rang out.

I choked back a scream as the bullet caught him in the throat and spun him around. He fell face first onto the tile. I made a movement towards him, but Frankie held firm.

"Come on!" he shouted, jerking harder on my arm. "Shit!"

We could hear shouts and footsteps coming down the hall. Frankie shoved Peter's body out of the way and pulled the stairwell door closed. We then kept moving toward the back of the building. It was pretty smart, actually, because then everyone would think we'd gone into the stairwell.

"You didn't have to kill him," I said in disbelief. "He didn't even have a gun."

"Shut the fuck up!" he shouted at me. I knew he hadn't meant to kill him, and this situation was spiraling out of control.

Had he really wired the courthouse to blow? That was pretty ambitious for someone like him. Could the detonator be a fake? Possibly, but I couldn't risk it.

I had thought he would try to get out right away, but instead we went through a series of doorways and came to the door of a judge's chambers.

Frankie wasted several moments trying to pick the lock. It was a cheap lock, and I could've done it in less than ten seconds, but I decided to keep that piece of information to myself. I stood quietly while he pretended to be a good burglar.

We eventually entered the chambers. Fortunately, the judge wasn't here. He shoved me into a chair and pointed the gun at my head.

"So now what are you going to do?" I asked him. "You're not going to get out of here alive."

"Just shut the fuck up for a minute. I need to think. I swear, you make a sound, and I'll kill you."

He began pacing through the room, alternately pointing the gun at me and then using the end of it to scratch at his forehead.

"As long as I have you, I can get out. It's fine. You'll be my ticket out," he said finally. "You and this," he said, bringing the detonator out of his pocket. "I'll get out of here, kill you, and then I can collect my money."

"There's no money," I told him. "Stoat's in prison. This whole scheme to kill me…we knew about it. Why do you think we made such a big deal about this award ceremony in the papers? We wanted you to come after me today."

"Well that was your fucking mistake, wasn't it? 'Cause look how good that worked out for you."

Footsteps in one of the adjacent rooms had him jerking me from the chair. He hustled me behind the desk and then pushed me down onto my knees.

"Get under there right now," he whispered. He got down on the floor, too, and both of us huddled underneath the desk.

"You make a sound, and I'll kill whoever it is that comes through that door."

And then the door burst open. I didn't even breathe. I didn't know who it was, but I couldn't risk getting them killed.

The steps moved slowly across the threshold as the person did a visual sweep of the room.

There was a pause where all I could hear was breathing.

And then I knew who it was.

_Please see it_, I said silently. _Please see it_.

**

* * *

**

Logan POV

I was telling Deakins about my field trip to Minnesota when I saw Goren come back into the lobby alone.

I was on the far side of the lobby, so I couldn't hear any conversation, but as I kept watching, waiting for Alex to appear, Ross and Goren suddenly took off down the hall.

I stopped talking mid-sentence and took several steps in that direction.

And then when I heard Goren call her name, I started running.

"Mike!" Carolyn shouted at me. She was near the front entrance in a conversation with Van Buren.

"It's Alex!" I called back without slowing down. But when I reached the bathroom, both Ross and Goren were turning in circles.

"What the fuck?" I asked. "Where is she?"

"I don't know. I don't know. She was just going to stop in here for a second, but I don't know."

Goren was in freak-out mode and to be honest, I was going right along with him.

"He grabbed her out of the damn courthouse? Are you sure? Maybe she took a walk."

"No. Shit!" He shoved past me and went down the hall to the left. Ross came out and went to the right, heading for the lobby.

"Listen up!" he shouted. "Seal this place up! Nobody in or out! Let's search this place top to bottom."

"Goren!" I called, running down the hall after him. "Bobby!"

"We can't let him get away. He's in here somewhere. There's no blood. He hasn't killed her."

"Of course he hasn't," I said with false bravado. "He's going to be the one that ends up dead. You know her temper. Let's find her."

And then the shot rang out.

We both ran even faster, but it still felt like this was the longest freakin' hallway in architectural history.

We finally came to the end and turned the corner. There was a body lying next to the stairwell door. I wasn't sure who he was, but it wasn't Alex and it wasn't Frankie.

"Shit! It's Peter," Goren said.

"Who's that?"

"He's an interpreter for the NYPD," he told me as he bent down to check his pulse.

"They can't be but a minute or two ahead of us," I said, sticking my head through the stairwell doorway. I looked up and down, but I couldn't see or hear anything.

"Mike!"

It was Carolyn. She came barreling around the corner with her gun drawn.

"Where'd they go?" she asked.

"Stairwell?" Goren suggested. "They can't be that far ahead."

"I don't know. I can't hear a thing," I answered quietly. "Unless they only went one floor up or down, I should've been able to hear something."

Ross, along with a barrage of boys in blue came around the corner to help us out. The gunshot had brought everyone out of the woodwork.

"What happened?" Ross shouted.

"I guess they ran into Peter. Call a bus," Goren said. "But he's DOA."

"Send some of your guys into the stairwell," I told Ross. "I'm going to check out the rooms on this floor. I'm thinking maybe they didn't go anywhere."

So we split up. But I stayed on the main level. And so did Carolyn and Goren. Call it a hunch.

The three of us went through the maze of rooms near the stairwell. It was a tactical nightmare, considering that so many rooms connected to each other and not all of them let out into the hallway.

I went through a courtroom, taking my time to check between each row of seating. And then there was the jury box, the jury room, the judge's chambers…like I said, a tactical nightmare.

I got to the door at the judge's chamber and put my hand on the knob. I turned it slowly, surprised to find it unlocked. _A judge that doesn't lock his door before a long holiday weekend? _ I flung the door fully open and looked around.

I was on full alert as I entered the room. It appeared to be empty, but I still did a slow visual sweep. The hairs on the back of my neck were on end, and my ears were buzzing from my attempts to hear the impossible.

But then there was the smell…was that Alex's perfume? Or shampoo, or something? I wasn't sure what it was that caused her to smell the way she did, but I was pretty sure I could smell it now.

And then I had the odd random thought that maybe I shouldn't know what she smells like.

But I also knew what Carolyn smelled like, so it was okay, right?

_Jeez, Mike, focus_.

I took a few more steps into the room. And then I stood still and listened again.

I tried not to breathe so loudly because I was afraid I was masking other sounds, but my lungs were doing the best they could.

I looked around the room one last time, and that was when I saw it.

I didn't look at it for long, because if I was being watched, I didn't want to give myself away, but I did glance one more time just to make sure I was seeing right.

And I was.

I slowly backed out of the room and closed the door. Then I pulled out my cell phone and called Goren.

"I think I've got them," I whispered into the phone. "He must have her under the desk."

"Where are you?"

"Judge Taylor's chambers. Hurry."

I didn't really need to add that last word. _Hurry_. As though he weren't traveling at warp speed right now to get to her.

I quickly called Carolyn, too. Reinforcements were on the way.

But I was worried about what was going on in there.

Why did he stay in the building? He hadn't minded killing two people already. Why hadn't he just killed her and moved on?

Or had he?

What if we were too late? What if we went in there and he was already gone?

Maybe it was just her lifeless body that was crammed under that desk.

The fear that washed over me with that thought was just indescribable. It almost paralyzed me.

I had to go in. I couldn't wait for Goren.

If she was dead, and he found her…

But if she wasn't dead, and I went in without back-up, then what? Would my recklessness get her killed?

Or maybe she's in there getting killed while I'm standing out here trying to make a decision…

I could hear the seconds ticking away as I stood there steeped in uncertainty.

_Make up your fucking mind, Mike_.

So I did.

I went in.

TBC...


	30. Chapter 30

**Carolyn POV**

* * *

I hung up with Logan and immediately dialed Ross.

"Captain! Judge Taylor's chambers!" I shouted into the phone when he answered. I wasn't completely familiar with the courthouse, but I thought I knew where to go.

And then I heard pounding footsteps and I looked down the hall to see Bobby tearing a path towards the last courtroom.

"You found her?" Ross asked as I started off after Bobby.

"Mike says she's in there. He called for back-up. I'm not sure what's going on. I don't know if he'll wait or not."

"I'm on my way," he assured me.

I shoved my phone back in my pocket and kept running.

If Mike had Frankie cornered, it could get ugly.

Frankie would be desperate and trapped. That was never a good combination.

* * *

**Ross POV**

Carolyn's call had me gathering the troops and running down the stairs.

I had been one floor up, but I should've known that Logan's assessment was accurate. He was a damn good detective and I was sorry that he had chosen to leave the department.

_They've all chosen to leave the department_, I reminded myself.

Something was truly wrong with that statement. They were without a doubt the best of the best.

But right now, my concern was Alex.

This medal ceremony had been my idea. Sure, she was the one who wanted to use it as a set up, but the planning of the details had been all me. The fact that security had failed…that was on me, too.

I was supposed to be able to keep my detectives protected, and yet I'd let the wolf in the door.

Carolyn had said that Mike called for back-up. I knew him well enough to know that he wouldn't wait.

There were pros and cons to playing the waiting game in a hostage situation.

And with someone like Frankie…it was hard to guess what he would do.

I hadn't had him pegged for a killer. Yet he'd killed twice so far. _So far_. And those two had been freebies. Why would he hesitate to kill once more when it meant a hundred grand?

That thought had me running even faster.

I had my gun drawn, despite the fact that I rarely used it anymore. I would use it today if I needed to. I wouldn't hesitate to put a bullet in Frankie if it meant saving Alex.

Of course, with Mike and Goren a step ahead of me, it was unlikely that scenario would come to fruition.

If Alex didn't manage to get herself away from Frankie, surely one of the other two would go in and finish the job. Or Carolyn, too.

Those four looked out for each other, that was for sure.

And if Frankie ended up dead, there would be an investigation.

Goren had killed twice in almost as many months. Logan and Barek were civilians, albeit licensed to carry.

But that didn't matter. Whatever the circumstances, I would make sure it was branded a clean shoot.

It was the least I could do.

I came out of the stairwell and turned toward the end of the hall. Carolyn was running about twenty yards ahead of me.

I took off after her. And then I heard the shots.

* * *

**Bobby POV**

I raced through the courthouse like a man possessed.

She was in Judge Taylor's chambers. Thank God she was at least still in the building rather than having been spirited away to some unknown location.

But still…Frankie had her. And he'd already killed twice.

Of course, Mike was right to an extent. This was Alex we were talking about. If anyone could escape unharmed, it was her.

I had faith in her.

But I also wanted to get there as fast as humanly possible.

It felt as if it took me forever when in actuality it was probably only a minute, maybe two. I got to the courtroom just in time to see Mike go through the judge's doors.

My footsteps thundered down the aisle way and I vaulted over the short wooden gate that separated the front of the court room from the gallery.

I heard Alex yell. _She's alive_!

And then I heard the shots.

Two, followed by three more in rapid succession.

I dashed through the open doorway and skidded to a stop next to Mike, with my gun in hand.

I followed his gaze across the room, and stared in shock at the tableau before me.

* * *

**Alex POV**

I heard Logan leave the room, and I prayed that he knew I was in here.

But at the same time, I was afraid of how this was going to go down.

I needed to get that detonator.

And I really needed my gun back. It made me sick knowing that Peter had been killed with my weapon.

"Get out," Frankie said, shoving me out from under the desk. "We need to get out of here."

"No shit," I replied smartly. "What was the brilliant plan? You're trapped in here like a rat."

"Now that they've checked this room, they'll move on. We should be able to get out okay. And if not, I still have this," he said, holding up the detonator again.

I subtly looked toward the door.

Was Mike going to come back in, or was he waiting for back-up?

Or had he not even seen the ring that I'd left lying on the arm of the chair?

I could see it clearly from here. It stood out decently against the burgundy fabric of the wingback chair.

I wasn't worried about Frankie seeing it. Even if he noticed it, he wouldn't realize that it was mine. But I knew that Mike would, especially since he'd been with Bobby when he bought it.

I took slow, steady steps around the desk. I was trying to decide the best thing to do if Mike should come bursting through that door.

I would have to tackle Frankie. That would catch him off guard. If I could get him at precisely the right moment, I might have a chance.

Because if Mike came in, and then they got into a standoff, it wouldn't end well. Mike would have to let him, and me, go because of the detonator.

But if I could jump Frankie and knock the device out of his hand…

As I looked at the door, the knob slowly turned.

Time for debate was over.

Frankie was directly behind me with the detonator in his left hand and my gun in his right. He wasn't a big man, although he did still have a size advantage over me. But if I took him by surprise…

Mike burst through the door and I threw myself backwards at the same time. I took us both to the ground, landing square on his chest, and then I rolled toward the left so that I could isolate his hand that held the detonator. I knew that meant his gun hand was free, but having him fire a bullet paled in comparison to having him blow up the entire building.

I grabbed his hand with both of my hands and tried to wrestle the device away from him, but I couldn't pry it from his hand.

"Let her go, Frankie!" Mike called out. But we continued grappling on the floor.

I felt his fingers trying to squeeze in on the detonator in an effort to push the button and I frantically fought to keep him from doing it.

My battered fingers weren't cooperating and sharp pains were radiating down into my hands, but I couldn't let go. If I did, it was all over.

I realized I was losing the battle, and I wasn't going to be able to keep him from pushing the button.

I also knew that as much as I was wriggling around, Mike wasn't going to take a chance by firing his weapon.

"Shoot him!" I shouted out to Mike. "Shoot him now!"

And then everything happened at once.

Frankie relaxed slightly on the left while he tensed on the right. He was going to fire, probably thinking that if he took Mike out first, then he could deal with me and get to the button.

And he was right.

If Mike went down, we were all dead.

As Frankie focused on taking aim at Mike, he barely loosened his grip on the detonator. I yanked on it, hard, and prayed desperately that I didn't inadvertently set anything off. Then I brought my elbow back around to chuck him in the gut.

The detonator came free.

I moved to get off of him, but I wasn't fast enough. He fired two shots. The gun was right next to my ear, and I was temporarily deafened by the report. Several more shots sounded and I was reduced to hearing only a loud ringing sound.

I felt a spattering of warm wetness cover the side of my face, and Frankie's body went limp.

I rolled over onto my knees on the floor and brought one hand up to my ear that was still ringing painfully. My other hand still held the detonator.

I glanced at Frankie. He was lying motionless in a pool of blood, my gun still in his hand.

I turned back to Mike and found that Bobby had joined him. Both stood in a firing stance with weapons pointed at Frankie.

I looked at Bobby. He started running toward me and his mouth was moving, but the buzzing in my ear was relentless and it made his voice sound very far away.

* * *

**Bobby POV**

Alex was on her knees next to a very bloody, very dead Frankie. She had her back to me. One hand was on the side of her head and in the other hand, she held a detonator.

The fucking place was wired. _Holy shit_.

I watched as she raised her head to look at Frankie and then she slowly turned to look at me. She was covered in blowback.

"Alex! Alex, are you okay?" I asked as I dashed toward her, my temporary paralysis finally over.

I got down on the floor next to her. She held out her hand to give me the detonator, but she still wasn't speaking. I noticed that two of her fingers on her right hand were shifted at an odd angle. Definitely broken.

But as bad as that was, I was concerned that there was something more. It was hard to differentiate with all of the blood that was on her.

"Are you okay?" I asked again. I took the device from her and handed it to Mike. Then I ran my fingers over her face and head in an effort to see if there were any injuries.

I could hear the others approaching, but I was only focused on Alex.

"Say something," I said desperately. She shifted and turned around to sit on her butt, and then nodded as though she were in a daze.

"The gun went off right beside her head," Mike told me in explanation.

I took her face in my hands and looked her in the eyes.

"Are you hurt?" I asked slowly.

"No," she said at last in an abnormally loud voice. "My ring."

I had no idea what she was talking about. I looked at her hands and realized that she was only wearing a wedding band.

"Here," Mike said. He went over to the chair and picked up Alex's diamond ring off the arm and then handed it to me. "That was pretty quick thinking by your Wonder Woman. Otherwise I'd have never known she was in here."

I stared at the ring for a moment and took her hand and slid it onto her finger.

"I think this belongs right here," I told her softly.

But she was looking down at the ring on her finger and I don't think she heard a word.

Carolyn came running into the room, and then stopped short and took a deep breath.

"Oh thank God," she said as she re-holstered her gun. She looked at Mike. "Everybody's okay?"

"Everybody except Frankie," he told her with a wry grin.

Leave it to Mike to make a joke. But our combined relief was palpable, and the release that follows the adrenaline rush inevitable.

"What the hell happened in here?" Ross said as he came into the room.

"The place is wired, Captain. Call in the bomb squad," I told him. Mike gave him the detonator and then handed him his gun.

"I killed him," Mike said. Ross didn't react to that, but rather focused on the detonator.

"He was going to blow up the courthouse? Why?"

"It was his back-up plan," Alex shouted. "In case he couldn't get out. He was going to take everybody with him."

"So you're a hero again," Ross said.

"No. It's Mike," Alex argued. "If he hadn't shot him, we'd all be dead. I couldn't hold on anymore."

"Looks like you held on long enough,"' I commented. I got to my feet and brought her up with me. "Now it's my turn."

I pulled her into my arms. I didn't care that she was covered in blood. I didn't care that the room was filled with cops. All that mattered was that she was safe.

TBC...


	31. Chapter 31

**Alex POV**

* * *

I leaned into Bobby for several long minutes, grateful for the opportunity.

The situation had unfolded so rapidly that I hadn't given a lot of consideration to dying, other than the fact that it was a distinct possibility.

But there were no scenes flashing before my eyes, no questions about life after death, no last minute regrets…just thoughts of Bobby.

And how much I loved him.

Of course, I wanted to think we would live exceptionally long lives, growing ridiculously old together.

But if that didn't happen, at least I had the comfort of knowing that I was truly loved.

So I stood there in the room and held on tight.

"We need to get you cleaned up and checked out," Bobby said. Or at least I'm pretty sure that's what he said. My damn ear was still buzzing like a chain saw. Fortunately, it was only one ear and the other one seemed to be mostly working.

"I'm fine," I told him, not wanting to move from the sanctity of his arms. He pulled back from me and gave me a look before taking hold of my wrist and bringing my hand up in front of my face.

"Really? Because I didn't know fingers were supposed to bend sideways."

"We need to move this party across the street to the Supreme Court Building," Ross spoke up. "Bomb squad is on the way over here to do a sweep. We need to evacuate the building. Alex, do you still have a bag at 1PP?"

"Yeah. I'm pretty sure, anyway." I knew I had used the clothes a couple of weeks ago, but I was fairly certain that I had restocked it.

"I'll have someone bring it to you. You can get cleaned up over there."

"Does the commissioner still want to do this thing?" Mike asked in disbelief. "That's crazy."

"It's up to you, Alex," Ross said. And I was caught off guard by his understanding.

"But if not today, they'll want to reschedule. And the press has been waiting out on the steps for an hour," Ross added. "A couple of pictures of the hero cop would be great."

I rolled my eyes at the mention of _hero_. I just allowed myself to get abducted from the courthouse bathroom. How did that make me a hero?

"Captain," Bobby began.

"No, it's fine," I interrupted. "Give me some time to get cleaned up and then we can get it over with."

Ross made a quick call to 1PP and ordered someone to bring my bag and then ushered all of us out of the building. Once we got across the street, he pointed me in the direction of the ladies' room. _My new favorite place_.

"And when you're done, let Liz look at that hand," he encouraged. "I'll get your statement later."

------------

An hour later, I was feeling quite a bit better. My hearing was somewhat improved and I had on clean clothes.

Liz was working on splinting two of my fingers.

"So this means I get to drive for awhile, huh?" Bobby teased as Liz finished up.

"I don't think so," I replied with a smile. "I don't need a car accident on top of everything else."

"Is he really that bad of a driver?" Liz asked.

"Yes."

"No."

We had replied simultaneously, causing Liz to burst out laughing.

"You know how easily he gets distracted," I continued. "Imagine how he does when there is nothing exciting on the road to keep his attention."

"I can see your point," she said. "Oh, there's Danny. Looks like you're up."

So I went outside and put on my best fake smile while the commissioner, who really doesn't know me at all, went on and on about how great I am.

I tuned him out after about the first five seconds, and instead started thinking about Christmas.

I hadn't bought Bobby a present yet, and of course, it was tomorrow. What was I going to find at this late date? And when would I find the time to get it? This past week had really messed up my plans.

Not to mention the fact that my parents wanted us to come over for dinner. My brothers and sister would be there with their spouses and kids. It was going to be quite the spectacle. After this morning, I really just wanted to climb back into the bed. Or maybe take another bath.

The memory of our bath two nights ago had me searching out Bobby in the crowd. He wasn't hard to find. He was taller than most everyone else out there, and he was right up front. And of course, he only had eyes for me.

I locked eyes with him and felt the familiar heat that went through me every time he focused his attention solely on me. His eyes did a quick shift, down to my toes and back up, and then he gave me a knowing smirk. And that started the tingling in my stomach because I could read his mind. Damn him for being so sexy.

I forced myself to look away from him because the last thing I needed was a picture of me looking flushed and aroused in tomorrow's Post.

The commissioner was still droning on and on about my bravery, courage and fortitude. And really, weren't they all the same thing? Did he realize he was being redundant?

I suppressed an eye roll and silently begged for the man to finish. But he was a true politician and was taking advantage of the opportunity for good press.

My eyes wandered over the crowd and I saw Judge Whitmore. She gave me a little smile and a nod. She was a nice lady, and I was glad she had been the one to perform our wedding.

I was pretty sure Mike and Carolyn wanted her to do theirs as well, so it was convenient that she was here today.

I realized by his cadence that the commissioner was getting ready to wrap things up, so I tuned back in just in time.

"And so without further ado, it is my great honor and pleasure to present the Medal of Valor to Detective Alex Goren."

**

* * *

**

Rodgers POV

"That was a lovely ceremony," I said as we gathered in the lobby of the Supreme Court building.

"Please," Alex argued. "I didn't think the commissioner was ever going to stop talking."

"Ah, a humble hero," Mike commented.

"You should have been up there, too," Alex told him. "You killed a guy who was ready to blow up the New York Criminal Court Building. I'd say that warrants a medal."

"Well, I couldn't get you a medal yet, but I am going to say that you're officially cleared. There won't be any charges filed," Danny told Mike. He pulled out Mike's gun and handed it back to him.

"That was quick."

"It was a hostage situation. There were special circumstances," he replied with a shrug.

But I knew better. Danny could've made it difficult on him if he wanted to. Hostage situation or not, Mike was a civilian.

"And by the way, you two were officially hired as part of the security detail for this ceremony," Danny added with a nod to Mike and Carolyn.

So that was how he'd gotten around it. I gave him an encouraging smile. _He was coming around_.

"Thanks, Captain," Mike told him as he shook his hand.

"We really appreciate it," Carolyn said.

"And I'll be sure to send the department a bill," Mike added with a grin.

"Hey, did you guys see Judge Whitmore?" Alex asked suddenly.

"I did," Carolyn said with a smile. "She told us that if we meet her in the rotunda after lunch then she'd be more than happy to take care of things for us."

"So we're still going to do this today?" Mike asked her.

I was surprised to see him looking sweetly apprehensive. There was a whole other side to him that I was just starting to see glimpses of.

And I could easily understand why Carolyn was in love with him.

She went up to him and put her arms around him and then reached up to whisper something in his ear.

"Okay, so that's a yes then," Mike said, his face turning an interesting shade of red.

"You guys are all coming, right?" Carolyn asked, looking around at the rest of us. "One o'clock?"

"Of course," Bobby told him. I turned to look at Danny and was happy to see him nodding his head. I was proud of him.

"We'll be there," I said.

"Let's get back to the hotel then," Carolyn said. "It'll give us all a chance to get cleaned up and get some lunch and then we'll come back here."

"You four drove in together?" I asked. We all started walking towards the front doors.

"We're all at the same hotel," Mike said. "I guess it's not a secret anymore."

"We're going to stay there a few more days," Bobby said. "We haven't found a place yet, and neither of us wants to go back to the apartment."

"We're going to stay there, too," Carolyn said. "Through the weekend, until we can get a new front door."

"I think this one needs to be bullet-proof," Mike added.

We stepped outside onto the sidewalk. The courthouse across the street was cordoned off with crime scene tape.

"At least they didn't block the parking garage," Alex said. And then she turned to me. "Thanks for the help, Liz. Again. You're going to have to start billing our insurance."

"I'm just keeping a running tab," I teased.

We said our goodbyes and the four of them headed across the street towards the parking garage.

"You ready?" I asked Danny. "Or do you have to make the rounds before we can leave?"

"I'm ready," he replied. But then his phone rang.

"Sussex State Prison," he told me when he checked the display. "Too little too late, huh?"

I knew he had been trying to get information from them on Frankie Moretti's cell mate in order to obtain insight on how Frankie might go after Alex.

"This will just take me a minute," he told me as he turned back toward the courthouse.

I waited patiently for him, taking the moment to just breathe. It had been an insane morning, but I was so grateful that it had all ended well.

And now maybe Bobby and Alex could take a few days to rest.

I wasn't sure what Danny's plans were for them, but I was going to suggest that maybe he encourage them to go ahead and take their honeymoon. I knew they were putting it off, not wanting to take vacation days while working out their notice, but if anyone needed time off, it was them.

Besides, he owed them a wedding present. The first one had just been from me.

Danny's raised voice got my attention. I looked at him as he turned around and stared in the direction of the parking garage.

"Why didn't anyone tell me this sooner?" he yelled as he started jogging across the street toward the garage. "Shit!"

He slammed his phone closed and took off at a full run. We entered the parking garage and he looked around frantically.

"What is it?" I called to him as I followed closely behind.

"Do you know where they parked?" he asked me, the panic evident in his voice.

"Bobby and Alex? Usually the second level, I think." Before I could finish my sentence, he took off up the ramp to the next level. I chased after him. "Why? Danny what is it?"

"I've got to get to them…you call them. If they answer, tell them not to get in the car!"

I slowed down and pulled out my phone. I started to dial, but then I heard Danny yelling. He must have caught up to them.

"Alex! Alex, don't move! And don't start the car!"

I started running again and got up to the second level in time to see Danny slowly approaching the department SUV that Alex and Bobby were driving. Alex was in the driver's seat, but the door was still open. Bobby was already in the passenger seat and Mike and Carolyn were in the back.

"Just don't move," Danny was saying.

"What is it?" Alex asked him warily. He didn't respond, but instead got down on the ground next to the car.

"Captain?" Bobby asked when Danny still didn't answer. He finished looking underneath the car and then got up.

"I'm going to look under the seat," he told Alex. "Do not move."

He leaned in, carefully maneuvering around her legs so that he could peer under the driver's seat and then he slowly pulled back out.

"It's wired," he said. "There's a bomb."

TBC...


	32. Chapter 32

**Bobby POV**

* * *

This day just kept getting better. We'd survived the attempt on Alex's life only to find ourselves in a car set to blow.

"How did you know?" I asked Ross cautiously after he'd hung up with the bomb squad.

"Sussex Prison finally called me back," he told us as he put his phone away. "Moretti's cellmate's signature was having a car bomb as a back-up for his hits. He's been heard saying that even though it's not as satisfying as watching the bullet go in, at least you know the target will still be taken out if something goes wrong."

"So this is Moretti? He put this thing in here before he came into the courthouse?" Mike asked. "It's not someone else trying to make good on the hit?"

"It has to be Moretti considering the cellmate's history," I said, relieved to know that there wasn't someone new in the game.

"He could have put the bomb in at any time over the past couple of days. Monday night when he was at your house maybe," Ross said. "All he had to do was get it in there, and then he could activate it at any time."

"So it is activated," Carolyn clarified.

"I'm not an expert, but I'd say yes. It looks like it's triggered by weight. Now that Alex is sitting on the seat, if she were to get up, it would go off."

And just like that, my heart was once again in my throat. I wasn't sure how much more of this I could take.

"I'm going to check around and see if any of the other seats are rigged," Ross said. I watched Alex carefully while Ross came around to my side of the truck.

"Are you okay?" I asked her. It felt like it was the millionth time that I'd asked her that today.

"I've been better," she replied. She gave me a shaky grin and held out her hand to me. I took it carefully and brought it to my lips.

"We'll be fine," I promised. I was pleased with how strong and certain my voice sounded because it was in complete contrast to how I felt.

"This side is clear. You can get out, Goren."

"I'm not going anywhere," I told him without taking my eyes off of Alex. "Just check the back."

"There's not space under the seat back here," Mike stated after cautiously feeling under the seat. "It's flush with the floor."

"He's right," Ross said after opening the door to take a look. "Even from the side, there's no way to fit anything under here."

"He knew that I always drive," Alex commented. "I drove us all the way from Richmond to New York. He would've remembered that."

"I should've been driving today," I told her, thinking about the earlier discussion we'd had with Liz while Alex's fingers were getting splinted.

"Yeah, and then it would be you over here and me over there. We'd both still be in the car," she said rationally.

I entertained the notion that if it had been the other way around, I would've been able to talk Alex into getting out of the car.

But who am I kidding?

She was more hard-headed than me. And she was right – we'd be in the same position, just different seats.

"Just move slowly, Logan," Ross said, still holding the back door open. "No sudden movements."

"I'm not going to make any movements. I'm not getting out."

"Mike," Alex said. "Get out of the car. You too, Carolyn."

"We're not leaving," Carolyn said in a determined voice. "We're going to sit here with you while the bomb squad defuses that thing."

"This is crazy," I told Mike in an effort to appeal to his practical side. "There's no reason for us all to be at risk."

"Have you ever known me to bail on a friend in crisis?" Mike asked. His voice held enough conviction for me not to argue. I could appreciate his standpoint.

We'd been tossing the word 'family' around a lot when it came to the four of us, and it was a fitting description. Any one of us always ready to stand up beside the others.

Ross stood back from the truck and looked at us all in exasperation. I didn't expect him to understand.

"None of you are getting out?"

"No."

"Danny," Liz spoke up. "I'll stay with them. Go see what's keeping the bomb squad. It's not like they had very far to go."

"You're going to stay, too?"

"It's fine. Alex isn't going to move, so we're all safe. Right, Alex?"

"Trust me. My ass is glued to this seat," she replied quickly.

"Go, Danny," Liz encouraged.

He looked at her a moment longer. Conversation passed between the two of them without a word and I wondered if he realized they did that. It seemed to annoy him when Alex and I did it.

Finally he took a step back and nodded his head and then hustled off to find the PSBT's. I knew they had their hands full with searching through the courthouse, but damn…that building was empty.

This car was not.

Liz squatted down next to Alex's open car door and patted her on the leg.

We were all quiet for a minute, but then Mike spoke up.

"Well, this is an interesting predicament. It's definitely a new experience."

And for some reason, I wanted to laugh. It was all just too much.

I suppressed the urge, mostly due to the fear that if I did start laughing, everyone would think I had finally gone insane.

And maybe I had.

Because really, who laughs when they're in danger of being blown to bits?

Apparently Alex. She could hardly say the next words without chuckling.

"Yeah, well you weren't the one with Ross' head down between your legs," Alex said to Mike. "Talk about a new experience."

"At least you weren't wearing a skirt," Mike added in a suggestive tone.

And everyone in the car erupted in quiet laughter. Alex was holding as still as possible, but I could tell she was struggling.

"I'm sorry Liz," she said finally. "That was completely inappropriate."

"It was a tension-breaker. It's fine," she said good-naturedly.

"No, it isn't," I said, although I was still choking back a laugh. "You're risking your life to stay here with us, and we're making fun of your husband."

"I wasn't making fun of Ross," Alex corrected. "I'd have said the same thing no matter whose head was between my legs."

"No matter whose?" I clarified with a pointed look.

"Okay, well, maybe I need to amend that statement."

"Come on, guys. No sex talk," Mike called out.

"Now see, I would've thought you would like that kind of thing," Rodgers said, catching us all by surprise. I was glad that she seemed to understand our need to think about anything but the explosive device beneath the seat.

"He likes sex talk," Carolyn spoke up. "Just not when there's no potential for following through."

"Oh, I'm going to follow through," Mike replied quickly. "We get out of here, we'll go get married, and then I'm going to be following through all night."

And then my amusement left me.

"Get out of the car, Mike."

"What?"

"You guys are getting married. _Today_. There's no need for you to be in here. Get out of the car."

"Goren, knock it off. I'm not going anywhere."

I sighed heavily and slowly leaned back against the seat. I still had Alex's hand in mine, so I brought it up to my mouth again and gently kissed the knuckles.

This totally sucked.

What if this was it? We hadn't even gotten around to spending our first Christmas together. We'd been married for less than two weeks. After wasting all those years silently pining for each other, we'd finally managed to get together and then this…outsmarted by a two-bit gangster. _After_ we'd already killed him.

"Alex…" I began, my voice filled with emotion.

"Please get out of the car, Bobby," she interrupted. She closed her eyes and I watched as a single tear escaped and ran down her cheek. "Please. I'm the only one that needs to be here."

"And where would I be without you? I'm not leaving you," I told her quietly. "I could never leave you. So stop asking me to do the impossible."

She sighed and turned her head to look at me, her eyes bright. I had to get our minds occupied on something else.

"Did you buy your parents a Christmas present?" I asked her.

"No," she admitted. "I haven't even bought you anything."

"You didn't buy me a Christmas present?" I asked in feigned horror. "What kind of wife are you?"

"I didn't buy Mike one either," Carolyn said. "And I'm guessing he hasn't bought me one."

"I'm supposed to buy you a present? I'm marrying you," he teased her. "Isn't that present enough?"

"Now there's the Mike Logan I was expecting," Liz said with a chuckle. "And I can't imagine why you guys haven't had time for gift shopping. You've been sitting around doing nothing for weeks now."

"Did you buy Danny something?" Carolyn asked her.

"Yes, I did."

"Are you going to tell us, or do we have to guess?" I asked her.

"Neither. I'm not telling even if you guess."

"Oh, so it's one of those kinds of presents," Mike said.

Before any further comments could be made, Ross came back with the bomb tech.

"Get everybody out of the car except the driver," he said quickly. Ross looked at him and rolled his eyes.

"I've been down that road. It's not happening. Just do what you need to do."

Liz moved out of the doorway, but stayed next to the car. The tech squatted down in the spot that she had just vacated and then looked around.

"Step back, Captain. You too, Dr. Rodgers."

"We're all fine right here," Ross said, stepping up next to Liz. "Just defuse that thing."

"Captain," I began.

"What, you're the only one that can show some loyalty to Detective Goren?" he asked in reference to Alex.

_He said her name. _

That was going to be added to my list of memories for this day: Alex got held hostage by a hit man, then she was presented with a Medal of Valor, my two best friends were getting married, and my boss called Alex by her full married name.

"This looks like a standard IED. It was good that you didn't move. It's triggered with a sensor that sensed the addition of weight. The removal of that weight will set it off."

"But you can defuse it," I confirmed.

"I've done a few like this before. Should be a piece of cake."

"So Moretti's cell mate told him how to do this?" Liz asked. "Why would he care if the hit went through if he wasn't around to enjoy the money?"

"Because he's a sick son of a bitch," Mike said.

"What he said," Ross added with a nod toward Mike.

"Detective Goren, can you move your leg a little to the right?" the tech asked Alex, his head down between her calves.

I couldn't help it. I started laughing. We all did, except for Ross. He looked at us like we had lost our minds.

"Okay, that settles it," he said after we'd quieted down.

"What?" I asked him.

"You two are officially on vacation. I don't want you back at 1PP until after the new year, okay? January 4th."

"Captain, you don't have to do that. That's half of our notice."

"Consider it a wedding present," he said. And then he added, "I was remiss to let nearly two weeks pass without getting you something."

I looked at Alex. Her eyes locked onto mine.

"Italy, right? We're going to Italy?" she said with a suggestive smile.

"We can go to Italy any time you want to," I told her. And I knew damn well that she knew I didn't mean the country.

"What, is that a euphemism?" Mike asked as he watched our exchange.

"Something like that," I replied without looking away from her. I would keep her in this conversation. She'd blocked out the bomb tech. In fact, I think she'd blocked out the fact that there was anyone in the car except for me and her.

"Voglio baciare il tuo corpo nudo," she told me with a grin.

Damn, she'd learned another one. And another good one. I should've known she'd buck the system and skip right past learning _hello_ and _goodbye_ and go straight for the good stuff.

"Okay, you're good," the tech said suddenly.

"What?"

"You can get out now," he said as he stood up. He held the device in his hand.

Alex moved, cautiously at first, and then quickly slid out of the truck. I got out and bolted around the front of the vehicle until I had her in my arms again.

Hell yeah we were going somewhere.

Maybe I would take her to Italy. Somewhere. Anywhere. As long as we were together.

TBC...


	33. Chapter 33

**Alex POV**

* * *

The last thing I wanted to do right now was go to my parents' house. And maybe that makes me a terrible person. I don't know.

But really…we'd been through so much in the past week that I just wanted to hole up with Bobby for the next several days.

Ross had been kind enough to give us plenty of time off. Time to take a honeymoon, time to recover physically and mentally from the recent stress, time to find a place to live….okay, so maybe it wasn't plenty of time.

But it was more than we thought we'd have so I was going to enjoy it.

A few hours ago, we'd watched as Mike and Carolyn said their vows.

And it was beautiful.

Not the setting – we were in the courthouse rotunda.

Not the flowers – there were none except for the small bouquet that Mike had procured from the bodega down the street.

And certainly not the attire – we were all still wearing our same clothes. I think Mike may have even had a little blood on his shirt. We had spent so long in the car waiting for the bomb to be defused, that we didn't really have time to go back to the hotel.

But none of that was important. It was beautiful to see how much they cared about each other. And how seriously they took the words that they spoke to each other.

I'd been to weddings before where, when listening to the groom as he said that he would love, honor, and cherish…well, it was all I could do not to laugh out loud.

But with Mike, I knew he meant it, every syllable of every word. And so did Carolyn. So like I said, it was a beautiful thing.

Afterwards, the six of us had lunch. Yes, six of us. Ross and Liz had come to the wedding ceremony, too.

It figured that I was kind of starting to like him now that we were leaving the department. Would it have killed him to be a nice guy five years ago?

I couldn't completely let go of my anger with him at his prolonged mistreatment of Bobby, but at the same time, I had to be appreciative of the fact that he had just saved all of our lives. If not for his quick reaction to the Sussex State Prison phone call…I just didn't even want to think about that.

However, I did want to pay a visit to Stoat. I wanted to rub it in a little bit that he had once again failed. We had too much to do today, but one of these days, very soon, we were going to go talk to him. And now that he was going to be spending the rest of his very long sentence in isolation, we would no longer have to worry about him.

After the late lunch, we took the subway back to the hotel.

I'd given Ross the keys to the SUV because I sure as hell wasn't getting back in it. I knew that was silly since obviously there was no longer a bomb in the truck, but still…call me superstitious.

I offered for Mike and Carolyn to come to my parents' house with us, but they declined. Mike said they were off for a night of dinner and dancing and…whatever it is that newly married couples do. I was a little jealous. I'd like to be headed off for a night of that, too.

But instead, here we were, pulling up in front of the family home.

I was driving Lewis' Ferrari. We'd had so much going on lately that I hadn't gotten much opportunity to drive it, so I couldn't resist. Especially since Bobby's Mustang was now out at his shop getting a once-over. And my car was, well, it was just a car.

I shut off the engine and sighed heavily.

"It's not going to be so bad," Bobby said encouragingly. He was being quite the trooper about this considering we both knew my dad was going to talk about Joe.

"I know," I replied. "How much about today do you think made the news?"

"Why? Are we going to lie?" he asked mischievously. I don't know why it entertained him so much to know that I occasionally told my parents a fib, but I did like the way his quick smile lit up his face.

"I'd rather not call it lying," I replied, matching his grin.

"Oh, so we're going to fabricate…prevaricate…"

I cut off his teasing by reaching over to kiss him. It went from chaste to sizzling in a matter of seconds when he shoved his fingers into my hair and changed the angle of the kiss.

Unfortunately, we were interrupted by a pounding on the driver's side window.

"Hey! Are you guys going to come in, or are you going to sit in the car all night making out?"

It was my brother. One of them, anyway, and with the exception of the fact that I was in a Ferrari, I felt like I was back in high school.

"We're going to make out all night!" I yelled back. "Go away!"

Sean looked back and flipped me off before heading up the front steps. Yeah, it was high school all over again.

"Alex," Bobby laughed. "We should go in."

"Really? Are you sure?"

He leaned over and spoke softly.

"The faster we go in, the faster we can get back to the hotel."

I couldn't argue with that logic, so I quickly got out of the car. Bobby reached in the trunk to get the presents.

Fortunately, I had shopped for most of my family months ago. I was one of those people who doesn't mind buying a Christmas present in July. If it's the right thing, then I go ahead and get it. So even though I hadn't bought anything for Bobby or my parents, I was set with everyone else. And now, thanks to a last second inspiration and a quick trip by our apartment, we had my parents' gift covered, too.

We headed up the front walk, the noise from inside permeating the early evening quiet.

"It's not going to be that bad," I said, echoing Bobby's earlier sentiment. "I just…"

"You're just worried that someone is going to say something that offends me. Or hurts my feelings," he said. "I'm not that guy anymore, Alex. I'll be fine. This will be fun."

"Fun? Let's not get carried away," I said, although I had to laugh. He just had no idea what he was in for, but he was right. His confidence was really shining through, and he would be able to deal with the likes of my family.

We stepped through the door and were bombarded by my nieces and nephews who ranged in age from three to fifteen. There were seven of them in all.

That was because I was the only Eames of my generation who didn't have kids. Obviously, I'd carried my sister's child for her, but I didn't have any of my own and for my parents, that was a huge disappointment. But for me, it was just fine. I could enjoy these kids and then give them back.

"Alex!" my mom called out as she made her way through the throng of people in the living room. She hugged me and then turned to give Bobby a hug, too. I was immediately warmed by the sight, and again the guilt swept through me.

It was Christmas. This was my family. I should be happy to be spending it with them.

"Dinner should be ready in a few minutes," my dad said as he came out of the kitchen. He liked to help with the cooking, especially when it was for the whole gang. He was pretty good at it, too.

"How are you, Bobby?" he asked, shaking his hand. "Here, let me get your coat."

"Thank you, Mr. Eames. It smells wonderful in here."

"I saw you two on the news this evening."

Of course my dad would never beat around the bush.

"Yes, sir," Bobby said slowly, giving me a look. Since neither of us had seen it, we had no idea how much had been reported. We probably should have done a little research on that before showing up here.

"Dad, we're fine."

"They mentioned something about a bomb threat?"

"At the courthouse," my mom added needlessly.

"Yeah, they um…had to evacuate the building, but uh…it was nothing."

"Rumor at the 9-4 is that there was a hostage crisis there, too."

"Thanks, Sean. That's great," I told him with a glare.

"Hostage crisis?" my mom asked, raising her voice in alarm. "Were you involved in that? And what did you do to your hand?" she added when she suddenly noticed my splinted fingers.

"I'm fine," I insisted, a little louder this time. The situation was rapidly getting out of control. "I hurt my hand in Minnesota last weekend. It's nothing, really. Can we eat?"

"Minnesota? What were you doing in Minnesota?" my mom asked.

"Major Case seems to be awfully dangerous," my dad commented. "I guess it's a good thing you're leaving there." And then he added sourly, "Three years away from retirement."

Okay, now I didn't feel guilty at all. This was why I hadn't wanted to come. My siblings could all do whatever the hell they wanted and weren't judged for it. Me? Every choice I made was analyzed, discussed, and criticized.

"Dad," I began, but Bobby stepped in.

"Mr. Eames, I know that on the surface it may seem like a bad decision, but if you had all of the facts, then you would understand. And surely you trust Alex to know what's going to be best for her, and what's going to make her happy."

"You're saying that you're what's best for her? You make her happy?"

"Yes."

"And you didn't have anything to do with the fact that she's quitting? I mean, she married you for Christ's sake. You're her partner! How could you let her throw her career away like that? Joe…"

"Dad!" I called out in frustration.

"It's fine, Alex," Bobby said, and then turned back to my dad. "It's not about _letting_ her do anything. She makes up her own mind about things. I don't think Joe knew that. But I do. And you should, too. You should respect her choices, even if they're not ones that you would make for her."

My dad and Bobby stared at each other for an extended amount of time while everyone else remained silent.

Finally, my dad relented. Of course, he would never admit that he was wrong, but he took a step back and gave Bobby a nod.

"Okay, everyone. Let's eat," he said.

I grabbed Bobby by the hand and held him back for a moment while everyone else headed for the kitchen.

"I love you," I told him. "When we get back to that hotel, I'm going to…"

"Alex, Bobby! Are you coming?" my mom called out.

The rest of the time at my parents' house was fairly enjoyable. Dad was impressed that Bobby had stood up to him. That was one thing Joe never did. In fact, Joe had sided with my dad on everything, so it was usually the two of them ganging up on me.

When my dad opened our gift, he sat very still, staring at it for several long seconds.

And then he got up and went to the mantle. The ornate mahogany shef was filled to capacity with photos of my siblings and their families. There was only one photo of me. My wedding picture from when I married Joe. I'd been asking my mom for years to take it down, but she said that it was staying there until she had a new one to replace it.

So now I watched, filled with emotion, as my dad removed the old wedding picture and replaced it with the new picture of me and Bobby. My dad still didn't say anything, but his actions spoke for themselves.

Around ten o'clock, my cell phone rang. I was surprised to see that the display showed it was Mike. I excused myself and stepped out onto the front porch.

"What's up?" I asked.

"We've got a...minor...situation," he told me. My heart plummeted. Really? Another damn situation? What the hell could it be now?

"Tell me," I said calmly despite my inner turmoil. Bobby came up behind me on the porch and wrapped his arms around my waist as I listened to Mike. I leaned into him gratefully, appreciating his warm comfort.

"Ross just called me," Mike said.

"He bothered you on your wedding night?"

"Yeah, well..."

"What did he say?"

"The ballistics report came back on the slugs from our house. They don't match up to the ones from Frankie's rifle."

"How can that be?" I asked thoughtfully. "Maybe he had more than one rifle."

"I don't know, Alex. Maybe it wasn't him. I mean, we both assumed it was him, but neither one of us got a good look at him."

"What are you thinking?"

He let out a long breath and was quiet for a minute.

"I'm thinking that it can wait," he said at last. "No one knows we're at this hotel except you guys and Ross and Rodgers. If it was someone else, and they're after us for some reason, they're not going to find us here. Not tonight anyway."

"You're right. Enjoy your night. We'll be back at the hotel in a little while if you need us for anything. And we'll get together tomorrow, okay? Start some sort of new Christmas tradition."

"Sounds like a great idea to me."

I hung up with Mike and turned to Bobby.

"The bullets that went through Mike's front door don't match the one that came into our bedroom wall."

"Taggart?" Bobby suggested quickly.

I loved how his mind worked. We'd been relaxing with family, eating too much food and he'd been drinking bourbon-laced egg nog, but the second it was time to get down to business, he was right there.

"It could be. Although it was a piss-poor effort."

"Designed to threaten without harming?"

"Maybe."

"What do you want to do?"

"Go back to the hotel," I said after a minute. "We'll look into this more tomorrow. Tonight, I've got plans for you."

"I like the sound of that," he replied.

"Good. Let's go tell my parents that we have to go. And yes, I'm going to lie my ass off," I added with a grin.

We went in and hastily said our goodbyes, explaining that duty called.

"We're going to be working with them in a few weeks anyway, and they've been helping us out so much that it's only fair that we go ahead and get started now since they need us," I explained.

"It's okay, honey. I'm glad you got to spend the evening with us," my mom said. "You and Bobby."

And then my dad shook Bobby's hand again, but this time he actually welcomed him into the family. I almost felt a resurgence of guilt. Almost.

But not quite. Because damn it, I'd almost been killed today. Twice. I was not going to feel bad about wanting to have some alone time with my husband.

We got back to the hotel and went straight up to our room. The entire drive back, Bobby had been torturing me with a gentle stroking of his hands. I was on fire and I couldn't even think straight. I just wanted to get upstairs where I could get him naked.

So as soon as the door closed behind us, I grabbed Bobby by his shirtfront and shoved him into the adjacent wall.

"What was it you were saying earlier?" he asked as I began pulling his clothes from him. "Voglio baciare il tuo corpo nudo?"

Wow. It sounded so much sexier when he said it.

"Uh huh," I replied, busy with my task at hand.

"Well…how about I do that to you?" he offered.

But as tempting as that was, I had another thought.

"Let's dance," I told him.

"You want to…what?" he asked, and I was pleased that I had caught him off guard. He was obviously just as aroused as I was.

But we hadn't danced since our wedding night, and after watching Mike and Carolyn's ceremony today, well…I wanted to dance.

"Dance with me," I said softly.

I took a step back from him and held out my hand.

He stood there in no shirt. His jeans were undone, but still on. His lips were full and his hair was rumpled. I almost couldn't breathe.

"There's no music," he replied, although he accepted my hand and we moved into the middle of the room.

He pulled me into his arms and we started moving together, both of us hearing the same beat in our heads.

"I guess we don't need any," he murmured against the top of my head.

I have no idea how long we held each other, but afterwards, and after I made good on my Italian promise, I got up from the bed and went to the window. It was well after midnight. Bobby joined me to take in the view, pulling me close against his chest.

"It's Christmas," he whispered. "Our first one together."

"I still didn't get you anything."

"You married me. That's the best gift I've ever been given."

**The End**


End file.
